


Dawn Summers and the Ring of No Confidence.

by steeleye



Series: It's Grim Up North. [17]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Help! (1965)
Genre: F/F, Humour, action adventure, crossover fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-11 00:15:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 32,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11702784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steeleye/pseuds/steeleye
Summary: A Grim Up North story; It looks like Dawn's been selected to fill the vacant 'human sacrifice' spot yet again. This time its guys with sharp knives and pots of red paint who want to send her as a gift to their Goddess Kaili.





	1. Chapter 1

Dawn Summers and the Ring of No Confidence.

By Steeleye.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the movie 'HELP!' I write these stories for fun not profit.

 **Crossover:** BtVS with the Beatles movie 'HELP!'

 **Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar:** Written in glorious English-English which is different to American-English.

 **Timeline:** A 'Grim up North 2' story.

 **Words:** Twelve chapters of 2500+ words.

 **Warnings:** When in danger or in doubt, run in circles scream and shout!

 **Summary:** A Grim Up North story; It looks like Dawn's been selected to fill the vacant 'human sacrifice' spot yet again. This time its guys with sharp knives and pots of red paint who want to send her as a gift to their Goddess Kaili.

0=0=0=0

_Help me if you can, I'm feeling down  
And I do appreciate you being round.  
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,  
Won't you please, please help me.*_

*:'Help!', Lennon and McCartney.

**The Temple of the Goddess Kaili, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, England.**

The temple had at one time been a Territorial Army drill hall which was situated in the back streets of Middlesbrough. Once it had served the needs of one of the local Territorial Army infantry battalions, but, time and defence cuts had forced its closure and eventual sale. Now, several years after it had last echoed to the boots of part-time soldiers, its interior had been heavily rebuilt. Once the drill hall had had wooden floors and tall widows that let in plenty of light. Now the floor had been tiled over to make it easier to mop up the sacrificial blood and the windows had been boarded over, to prevent nosey neighbours from seeing the secret rites that were being held in the hall's interior.

Where once the walls had been hung with military posters of weapons and AFVs; now brightly coloured cotton drapes hung from floor to ceiling embroidered with scenes from the life of the goddess Kaili. At one end of the hall stood a great stone statue, fully twelve feet high, of the dark, six armed goddess Kaili herself. But today the object that took pride of place in the worshipper’s eyes was the heavy, round, stone, sacrificial table that stood in the centre of the hall. The worshippers, both men and women, crowded around the stone jostling each other in their attempts to get a better view of the actual ritual killing. A low murmur of conversation filled the room until the high priest and his acolytes appeared from a doorway behind the statue of the goddess. After sorting themselves out into the correct order of precedence, the high priest and his fellow priests stood before the statue of their deity; the high priest raised his hands in supplication.

“In the name of Preverti,” intoned the priest (a local second hand car salesman by the name of Mr Clang) in a high, monotone voice, “daughter of the mountains, whose embrace with Rani made the whole world tremble.”

“Tremble!” the congregation chanted as one.

“Tremble,” repeated the masked and robed priest as he advanced towards the sacrificial stone, his arms still held in the air, “Whose name is the Terrible. Whose name is Baleful. Whose name is Inaccessible. Whose name is the Black Mother, mother of darkness.”

As the high priest spoke, six strong men carried a litter shoulder high into the body of the temple. Lying on the litter was a naked teenage girl, covered from head to foot in red paint. As the high priest halted before the sacrificial slab, an under priest presented him with the sacrificial dagger. This the high priest would use to cut out the girl's still beating heart as an offering to the dark goddess.

“Kaili!” chanted the congregation as the men dressed in more simple robes than the high priest approached the stone table.

“We turn our hearts to Kaili,” the high priest held the dagger out in front of his masked face, “Drinker of blood, Black Mother...”

“Kaili!” Chanted the congregation once more as the men laid the girl on the sacrificial altar and the priest stepped up onto the step that ran around the base of the altar stone.

“...Killer of demons,” continued the priest as he raised the knife in preparation of bringing the girl's short life to a swift and bloody end, “gorge on this flesh, our offering...DRINK!”

Just as the high priest was about to plunge his dagger into the girl's willing flesh, a priestess stepped forward and grabbed the high priest's arm preventing him from bringing the ceremony to a swift and bloody conclusion.

“HALT!” cried the priestess loudly.

“Halt?” the high priest put down his blade and took off his grotesquely decorated mask.

“The Ring!” The priestess pointed before reaching for the girl's left hand, everyone’s eyes switched from the priestess to the girl's hand, “She is not wearing the sacrificial ring.”

The congregation started to mutter angrily amongst themselves, they'd come to the temple to see a good sacrifice. Now it appeared that they'd have to go home without their monthly dose of sacrificial blood and they weren't a happy congregation.

“She cannot be sacrificed without the ring,” the pretty, dark haired priestess informed everyone in a strong clear voice.

“Where is the ring?” demanded the high priest, “What has she done with the ring?” the priest pointed at the girl, “Search her!”

As the girl was completely naked except for her covering of red paint, it didn't take the temple attendants long to complete their task; they come away empty handled. At a signal from the high priest the temple guards began to chivvy the congregation out onto the street before their disappointed mutterings turned into something more violent. Alone with only his closest attendants and the sacrificial offering, who had by now been given a robe of her own to cover herself up with, the priest held up his hand for silence.

“Something must be done,” he announced stating the obvious, “this is shocking!”

“Monstrous,” agreed the under priest who'd earlier handed the high priest his sacrificial knife.

“We must find the ring, Bhuta,” the high priest turned to the under priest.

“You ask of me, Master?” Bhuta replied.

“Obedience and love,” intoned the high priest.

“This is so, Master,” the under priest declared.

“Ahme?” the high priest turned to the priestess, who normally worked on the cigarette counter of the local branch of a national chain of supermarkets.

“This is so, Master,” replied the priestess with a slight roll of her limpid eyes.

“The ring...” began the high priest only to be interrupted by the under priest.

“Has nobody looked on the washbasin?” asked Bhuta.

“Something must be done...” repeated the high priest, “...without the ring there will be no sacrifice, without the sacrifice there will be no congregation. Without the congregation...” the high priest took a long shuddering breath, “...we'll all have to find something else to do on the second Friday of the month!”

“This is so,” Bhuta agreed, while the priestess gave them both dark looks.

0=0=0=0

**A street market in Middlesbrough.**

Having finished school with a couple of good 'A' level results under her belt, Dawn had found that she didn't want to go to college or university. Instead she wanted to go out into the world and get a job where she could help people, she also didn't want to work for the Slayer Organisation. Luckily for Dawn (but not her sister), Buffy had been in prison when Dawn left school so couldn't exactly insist that she should work for the 'Organisation'. The other adults in Dawn's life, Giles, Willow and Faith, had all said the same thing; that she should do what she wanted to, within reason; they all drew the line at Dawn going to Stripper College, even Faith.

So, while Buffy was languishing at Her Majesty's pleasure in Slade Prison, Dawn had joined the Cleveland Ambulance Service. Her choice of career was prompted by the fact that she'd already spent several years helping to keep her sister and the other slayers alive long enough to get them to proper medical care. Also, as has already been pointed out, she felt the need to help people and what better way to help people than to join one of the emergency services? Working in the ambulance service, she'd be a first responder and she'd also, no doubt, hear of any unusual circumstances behind any strange injuries so she could pass the information on to Giles.

At the moment Dawn was a driver on an emergency ambulance. Early in her training she'd discovered that she must have had Buffy's share of the Summers' family 'driving gene' because she was a 'way' better driver than her sister. As the driver of an emergency ambulance, not only did she get to drive at high speed though Middlesbrough with lights flashing and sirens wailing, she also got to assist the paramedic who made up the second member of the ambulance's crew. Dawn was working hard to become a proper paramedic herself. In fact she'd recently finished another course that put her one step closer to attaining her ultimate goal.

Today, however, was Saturday and she was on leave for two weeks. Having slept in late, Dawn and Faith had got up at about eleven and had a lazy brunch before heading out to do some shopping in one of the local street markets. Dawn and Faith had lived together ever since Giles had suggested that Faith move into the spare room in Dawn's flat. The two young women had been sleeping together ever since a particularly bloody mission in Scotland not long before Buffy went over the edge and descended into alcohol abuse and had eventually been sent to prison on trumped up burglary charges. They'd grown particularly close during the year Buffy had been 'doing time' and now it looked as if they were in a long term relationship.

They wandered between the market stalls, most of which held junk, but there were some nice craft stalls and once in a while they found something magical. Occasionally Faith found a weapon that she just _had_ to have. Leaving her girlfriend looking at a dagger with a long curved blade covered with Arabic inscriptions, Dawn walked slowly over to a stall that sold what looked like antique jewellery. Picking through the boxes of old, fake pearl necklaces and gold coloured pendants, Dawn's eye soon fell on a box that contained nothing but rings.

Dawn liked jewellery, in fact she was something of an expert on gems and settings, of course she wasn't good enough to make it a career, but she could usually tell if something was genuine or not. Searching through the box of rings, Dawn picked out a ring with what looked like a large ruby in a gold setting. Holding it up to the light she could see how the light reflected redly within the stone, but... But if the ruby was real it was probably way out of her price range and maybe it was just a little too big and flashy.

Putting the ring back in the box with the others, Dawn searched though several other boxes and came up with a pendant she thought might have magical powers. It was a snip too at only £10, she'd buy it and show it to Willow or Giles. If it turned out to be magical it could be put somewhere safe, if not, she had a cool, new pendant to wear. Holding the pendant by its chain in one hand, Dawn found herself looking at the big, ruby ring again, she signed with desire as she looked at the ring. Okay, it might be big and a little over the top, but it was also beautiful and the stone appeared to be calling to her...'buy me, buy me'...it seemed to say. Picking up the ring once more, Dawn looked closely into the red heart of the jewel. Patterns of red light played across her eyes as she stared, mesmerised, at the ring; she just had to have it.

“Excuse me,” Dawn called to the stall holder, a middle aged woman of Indian appearance, “how much for the ring?”

“Let me see,” the woman took the ring from Dawn's hand and looked at it closely for a moment, she also looked into Dawn's face, after a moment or two the woman spoke again, “This is a good piece, I couldn't let it go for less than £45, dear.”

“Forty-five pounds?” Dawn replied uncertain of what to do.

“Sorry,” the woman held the ring just out of Dawn's reach.

Forty-five pounds was more than she'd meant to spend, but... A thought entered her mind, if she bought the pendant and it turned out to be magical she could tell Giles that it had cost more than it had so she'd make back a little of what she'd spent on the ring.

“Hey,” Dawn smiled one of her most charming smiles, she held up the pendant, “throw in this,” she held up the pendant, “and I'll buy the ring.”

“Hmmm,” the woman eyed Dawn for a moment, “Alright, you have a pretty smile and an honest face, forty-five pounds for the two, then.”

“Great,” Dawn went for the purse in her shoulder bag and counted out the money, “Here...”

“Don't you want to check that it fits first?” asked the woman before taking Dawn's money, “There's no refunds if it doesn't.”

“No that's okay,” Dawn took the pendant and slipped it into her bag before slipping the ring onto the third finger of her left hand, “Look,” she smiled happily, “it fits perfectly.”

“Good,” smiled the woman as Dawn's banknotes disappeared into her cash box “enjoy your ring.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Dawn smiled as she turned away to look for Faith while still gazing at her new ring.

It didn't take her long to find her girlfriend, by which time she'd stopped grinning like an idiot at her new piece of jewellery and was almost a sensible grown-up again.

“Hi sweet-heart!” Dawn cried as she came up behind Faith.

Turning to face Dawn, Faith couldn't stop herself from slipping her hand into Dawn's and kissing her lightly on the lips.

“Hi y'self,” Faith smiled, “where've ya been?”

“Oh around,” Dawn replied as they walked hand-in-hand between the market stalls, “buy anything?”

“Yeah,” Faith patted the leather motorbike jacket she wore with her free hand, “remember that knife with all the Arabic writin' on the blade?”

“Uh-huh,” Dawn nodded.

“Yeah, well, I got that.”

“How much?” Dawn wanted to know.

“Only thirty-five quid,” Faith replied using the slang term for 'pounds', “did ya get anything?”

“Oh yeah!” Dawn grinned and held out her left hand so Faith could see the ring.

“Wow!” Faith stared at the ring, it wasn't something she'd wear, but Dawn seemed to like that sort of thing.

“Only forty-five pounds,” Dawn smiled; if the ruby was real it would be worth thousands and Faith could hardly complain about her buying a ring for forty-five pounds after she'd spent thirty-five on a knife. “And I got this pendant thing as well, but that's probably magic so I'll have to hand it over to Willow or Giles.”

“Whatever,” Faith shrugged, they were now out of the market and standing in front of the Cleveland Shopping Centre, “ya wanna coffee or something?”

“I'd love an 'or something',” Dawn giggled, “but we'd probably get arrested so I'll make do with a coffee.”

“Dawn Summers you're such a slut,” Faith joked as they walked towards the entrance of the Mall.

“Can you blame me when I've got the hottest girlfriend in the entire world?” Dawn asked.

“Okay, seeing how ya put it like that,” Faith squeezed Dawn's hand gently, “I'll let ya...for now...” a wicked smile crossed Faith's face, “...but only 'til I get ya home, right?”

“Promise?” Dawn replied with just a hint of pleading.

0=0=0=0

**A/N** : Just to let you know; no Beatles will be appearing in this fic...not even a cameo! 


	2. Chapter 2

2.

**Dawn and Faith's House, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, late Saturday night.**

Sighing contentedly, Dawn snuggled up to Faith's warm, sexy body. They'd made love and were now doing the after-sex snuggling thing before going to sleep.

“Do ya ever think about babies?” Faith asked out of the blue.

“Babies?” Dawn raised her head from where it had been resting on Faith's shoulder.

“Yeah, y'know, having them,” Faith clarified.

“I've got to admit, it's not something I think about, like everyday,” Dawn shifted her position so she was sitting up in bed next to Faith, “what's brought this on?”

“Oh nothing,” Faith replied wistfully, “it's just...I was talking to Kennie the other day an' she was saying how Willow and her were thinking about starting a family.”

“Oh I get it,” Dawn grinned in the dark of the bedroom, “you're totally getting all broody in your old age.”

“Me? No-way!” Faith laughed before becoming more serious again, “Could ya see me pushing a stroller 'round the supermarket?” Faith gave a quiet laugh before adding, “I was thinking more about you, if you ever wanted kids.”

“Don't worry,” Dawn snuggled up to Faith again, “I'm not planning on starting a family just yet and if I do I'll totally be sure to mention it to you, okay?”

“Sure, cool,” Faith reached out and took Dawn's left hand in her own, “Hey, what's with the wearing jewellery to bed?”

“Oh that,” Dawn lifted her hand and looked at the ring she'd bought at the street market earlier in the day, “I couldn't get it off.”

“Did ya try soap?” Faith asked as she examined the ring on Dawn's finger.

“Second thing I tried,” Dawn admitted.

“What was the first thing?” Faith asked as she tugged at the ring.

“OW!” Dawn yelped and snatched her hand from Faith's grasp.

“Sorry,” Faith frowned. 

“Yeah, like pulling it off was the first thing I tried,” Dawn twisted the ring around her finger, “it's not like its tight or anything,” she explained, “I just can't get it past my knuckle.”

“Let me see that again,” Faith asked in a no-nonsense tone of voice, reluctantly Dawn held out her hand to Faith.

Taking Dawn's hand in her own, Faith held it up and squinted at the offending finger and its ring. Muttering darkly about not being able to see a thing, Faith put down Dawn's hand before putting her reading glasses on.

“Why is it,” Faith asked for about the thousandth time as she examined Dawn's hand, “that while the slayer package cures or repairs just about everything, why do I have to wear glasses?”

“Lucky I guess,” Dawn replied only to get a hard look from Faith, “Hey, don't look at me like that, I think those glasses really suit you and they make you look real sexy an' cute an' intelligent an'...”

“Okay, okay...” Faith sighed defeated; she could never win the argument about the glasses with Dawn, but, the truth was Faith thought they made her look old.

Having switched on the bedside light when she'd put on her glasses, Faith studied the offending object from every angle. It was just like Dawn had said; the ring did in fact fit fairly loosely on her finger but somehow it couldn't be pulled over her knuckle.

“You don't think it's magic do you?” Dawn asked with just a hint of concern in her voice.

“You mean like what happened to Willow that time?” Faith grinned at the memory.

A couple of years back, Willow had somehow managed to magic a ball-gag into her mouth (Willow and Kennedy were heavily into 'bondage games', although Faith thought it was more to do with Willow while Kennedy just went along with it). To cut a long story short, Dawn had had to recite the counter spell to remove the offending object from Willow's mouth.

“Yeah something like that,” Dawn shifted a little as Faith studied her hand, “but I swear I never said one spell or wish or anything.”

“I believe ya,” Faith turned and kissed Dawn's cheek, “but I can't see why this thing won't come off,” she stared at the stone in its gold setting for a moment, “is it real? The ruby I mean.”

“Hmmm,” Dawn shrugged uncertainly, “I'm not one-hundred percent sure but I think it might be.”

Faith gave a long, low, whistle, “Wow,” she added, “That must mean it's worth a fortune.”

“Not if we can't get it off my finger,” Dawn pointed out.

“Hey!” Faith grinned evilly as she flourished her new Arab dagger under Dawn's nose, “I can always cut it off!”

“AAGH!” Dawn cried out as she tried to pull her hand away from Faith, “No you can't! And where were you hiding that thing?”

“Slayer secret,” Faith smirked as she made the dagger disappear again, “need to know an' all that kinda crap,” Faith took off her glasses and switched out the light, “Look, we'll go see Red tomorrow an' see if she can magic it off or something.”

“No cutting off fingers,” Dawn warned as she got back down under the covers.

“No cutting,” Faith agreed as she eased herself down so she was lying next to Dawn.

“Promise?” Dawn insisted.

“Promise,” Faith sniggered.

“Y'know some times I don't know why I put up with you, Faith Lehane,” Dawn sulked.

“It's because ya love me,” Faith's hand slid across Dawn's belly to come to rest between her legs, “an' I know just what to do to make ya happy...”

“Ooooooooh, yeah, Faith,” Dawn squirmed under the gentle stroking of Faith's fingers, “I'm such a Faith-slut...”

0=0=0=0

**The street outside Faith and Dawn's house.**

“Are you sure this is the right house?” Clang the high priest wanted to know.

“I am sure,” the priestess, Ahme replied.

“How?” Clang gestured to all the houses in the row, “They all look the same to me.”

It was true, Dawn and Faith's little terraced house looked no different to all the others in the street.

“I checked,” Ahme said, but didn't explain how she'd checked.

“This is so?” the high priest shrugged, “So, what do we do now?”

“I will prepare myself and retrieve the ring,” Ahme closed her eyes and pressed the palms of her hands together.

“What here in the street?” Clang looked furtively up and down the road, “What if a constable of the local constabulary walks down the road and discovers us?”

“He will not,” Ahme opened her eyes and gave the high priest an annoyed look, “Bhuta is on look out duty.”

“And this knowledge is supposed to make me feel confident?” Clang muttered darkly.

“It will have to do,” Ahme snapped making the high priest start away from her, “now, if you want the ring back I must prepare.”

“Oh, go on then,” sighed the older priest, “but don't come running to me if we are all arrested.”

Rolling her eyes, Ahme once again closed them as she pressed her palms together and emptied her mind of everything except the idea of ring. Slowly and quietly she started to chant as the talisman around her neck began to pulse with a soft, warm, red light.

0=0=0=0

**Dawn and Faith's bedroom.**

Sleeping the sleep of someone who'd just made love to a slayer...twice, Dawn moaned softly and shifted on her pillow's. Down at the foot of the bed something stirred and started to climb up the leg of the bed. Pausing at the foot of the bed it rested on the duvet as it searched out its target. Running on a multitude of little, spidery legs the creature made its way up to where Dawn's head rested. Taking the edge of the duvet in its mouth the creature started to pull the bedding away from Dawn's neck. When it felt it had made enough room, the creature let go of the duvet and making little excited squeaks to itself it scurried up and over the duvet to disappear under the covers. Sniggering in her sleep, Dawn shifted as she felt the creature's feathery hair brush against her skin as it made its way down her body to her left hand.

Taking the ruby in its sharp-fanged mouth the creature tugged gently at the ring, it didn't move further than Dawn's knuckle. Stepping back for a moment, the creature's eyes came out on storks so it could see the problem from all angles. Taking hold of the jewel in its teeth once again it pulled harder. Still the ring wouldn't budge, by now the creature's tiny brain had lost whatever control it might have had and it was getting angrier by the second. It seemed to the creature that if it couldn't pull the ring off the finger, it should try biting the finger off the hand and running off with both the finger and ring.

Awaking to something tugging at her hand, Dawn shook her head and wondered what was going on, she was just about to tell Faith to stop messing around when she felt something needle sharp prick her finger. Screaming with surprise Dawn sat up and pulled her hand from under the covers. Screaming even louder as she saw the nightmarish, spider-like creature hanging from her finger, Dawn grabbed for Faith.

Waking up at Dawn's first cry of alarm, Faith had already jumped from their bed and had picked up her new knife from where it had been lying on her night stand. Seeing the multi-legged monstrosity hanging from Dawn's finger she pounced bring the knife down and around in a blur of bright steel to slice off the creature's head where it joined its body. The body with its multitude of wriggling legs, fell on the duvet and tried to scramble away leaving a trail of black blood behind it before it finally realised it was dead and shrivelled up into a ball.

However, the head was still trying to chow down on Dawn's finger as she screamed and desperately attempted to knock the spider's head off against the wall. Jumping on top of Dawn, Faith used her superior slayer strength to grip Dawn's arm and hold it still. Using the point of her dagger she pushed it between the spider's jaws and prized them apart. The spider-like head fell from Dawn's finger and rolled across the duvet to come to rest near its body.

“OHGODOHGODOHGOD!” Dawn repeated over and over as Faith rocked her in her arms, “that was just so...” Dawn cast a glance in the direction of the dead spider-thing, “...so, DISGUSTING!”

“You okay, Dawnie?” Faith held Dawn by her shoulders at arms length trying to see if her lover was injured.

“It only got my finger, nothing else,” Dawn replied as she quickly started to recover. 

Grabbing Dawn's hand, Faith immediately studied the little pin-like punctures that the spider-thing's teeth had left, once again Faith cursed her short-sightedness and put on her spectacles and examined Dawn's injuries afresh.

“It doesn't look too bad,” Faith announced slowly, “there's no sign of poison or anything but I'm going to call Red.”

“No, Faith,” Dawn cried as she cradled her injured hand against her chest, “it can wait 'til morning...”

“Yeah right,” Faith was already reaching for her mobile phone which lay on her night stand next to where she kept her knife, “by the morning you coulda turned into one of those things,” Faith gestured to the dead spider, “I'm having Red check you out.”

0=0=0=0

**The street.**

“Did you get it?” demanded the high priest when he saw Ahme had come out of her trance.

“No!” wailed Ahme as she nursed her hand, she felt like it had been stabbed or something, “The girl must have woken up...” Ahme frowned as she looked at the red, stab-like, mark on the back of her hand, “...and stabbed me.”

“Curses,” the high priest muttered angrily, “no matter...”

“No matter?” Ahme looked at her hand, as the sensation returned to her fingers so did the feeling that someone had stabbed her right through the palm of her hand.

Although she'd planned to fail in her attempt to retrieve the ring, she'd not planned on getting stabbed!

“No matter,” the high priest repeated as he started to move away from Dawn and Faith's house, “there is still time, we will try something new tomorrow.”

0=0=0=0

**Dawn and Faith's bedroom.**

“Willow!” Dawn cried out as the witch literally 'appeared' in her bedroom.

“Wow, Red!” Faith smirked, “Cool nightie ya almost wearing there.”

“What?” Willow looked down at the very see-through, pink, baby doll nightie she was wearing, “You said it was an emergency so I dropped everything and came right over.”

“Yeah, cool, an' thanks,” Faith dragged her mind back from speculating on what Willow and Kennedy had been up to and back to the problem in hand; she explained the situation to Willow.

“You been messin' with any magics Dawnie?” Willow asked suspiciously.

“I have not,” Dawn replied indignantly, “and don't talk to me like I'm fifteen or something.”

“Sorry,” Willow sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up Dawn's hand to examine it, “It doesn't look too bad,” she announced after looking at the tiny teeth marks, “no poison, but I'll do a healing spell just in case.”

Willow passed her hand over Dawn's finger and Dawn immediately felt the slight throbbing and stinging in her hand stop.

“You say this ring won't come off?” Willow looked closely at the ring.

“Is it cursed or something?” Dawn wanted to know, “Am I going to get attacked by increasingly large spiders?”

“No,” Willow smiled, “at least I don't think so,” Willow shifted her gaze to Faith, “you might wanna keep a sword or something handy, y'know?”

Faith nodded her head before heading off to her weapons room to get a bigger weapon.

“I'll have to do some checking,” Willow admitted, “but I'm sure I'll be able to get it off...well, almost sure...but if you don't mind...” Standing up, Willow stepped away from the bed, “...I left a quietly fuming slayer behind when I came here, I better get back to her.”

“No worries,” Dawn smiled, “we'll see you in the morning...”

“About ten,” Willow called as she prepared to teleport herself back to her own bedroom.

“Oh and do you mind not telling Buffy about this?” Dawn pleaded.

“My lips are sealed,” Willow grinned just before she vanished leaving Dawn and Faith alone with the dead spider-thing.

“What do we do with that?” Dawn pointed at the dead creature.

“We better save it,” Faith poked the corpse with the point of her sword, “here,” she passed Dawn the sword, “it might be a zombie-spider-thing,” Faith explained, “I'll go get a box or something.”

“Gee thanks,” Dawn clutched the sword as Faith headed downstairs to the kitchen, “leave the non-slayer with the dead, zombie-spider-monster why don't you?”

0=0=0=0


	3. Chapter 3

3.

**Dawn and Faith's house, Sunday morning.**

“I'll go fetch the car,” Faith called as she arrived at the front door.

“Okay,” Dawn's voice floated down from their bedroom, “I'll be right down.”

After the excitement of the previous night the two young women had fallen back to sleep, only to wake up far too early the next morning. Not feeling in the mood to spend the intervening time making love, they'd both got up and prepared themselves for their visit to Willow and Kennedy's house at ten o'clock.

Stepping out of the front door, Faith closed the door behind her before stepping out onto the street. The houses where Dawn and herself lived were old labourers houses built over a hundred years ago, they stood in long lines all around Saltburn. About ten or twenty years ago the area where the two young women now lived had been 'gentrified' with the houses being renovated and updated.

Standing on the pavement (Faith found that she now thought of the sidewalk as a pavement after living in England for so long), she looked up and down the street before setting off to find their car. Not long before Buffy had come out of prison, Faith's trusty, old Land Rover had finally expired. Still needing personal transport (the local bus company had silly rules about not taking swords and axes onto their buses) Dawn and Faith had bought themselves a cute, little, dark blue Mini; that Faith had immediately taken to some of her friends who'd 'improved' its performance. Now the two women were the proud owners of a Mini that went a lot faster than perhaps a Mini should.

Not having gone more than a few feet, Faith found herself accosted by a short, rotund, man dressed in a turban and an old fashioned raincoat.

“Hey girlie,” called the man as he sidled up to Faith; she turned and looked down at the man suspiciously.

One of the few things her mother had ever warned her about was strange, short men who approached you in the street and called you 'girlie', she'd always told her daughter to charge extra, particularly if they wanted you to do anything weird.

“How about this?” the man produced a large leather pouch from under his raincoat, “Shufti?”

Wondering what 'shufti' was, Faith refrained from pummelling the guy into the pavement. Instead she bent her head slightly to see what the guy was going on about.

“Gold!” the man held out a handful of what looked like small golden nuggets, “All of it,” added the man, “pure gold. In easy to handle denominational nuggets,” he explained before adding, “Completely unmarked and untraceable.”

Wondering why a man she'd never meet before would be offering her handfuls of gold nuggets, Faith found her eye drawn to the figure of an attractive, dark haired, woman dressed in an expensive looking green coat, she was approaching them from behind a parked car.

“Not a mark on them,” encouraged the man as he waved a handful of gold under Faith's nose.

“Nah...” Faith hesitated as she thought of all the stuff Dawn and herself could buy with the gold, “...just what d'you want me to do for it?” after all it didn't hurt to ask, “I won't do anything sick or illegal, y'know?”

“No!” the young woman was now standing behind the man and was trying to pull him away from Faith.

“What the...?” Faith looked from the man to the woman and frowned; as near as her slayer senses were telling her she wasn't getting any 'evil-vibe' off these two, so what did they want?

“I am sorry,” the woman turned to Faith and winked, “my father is old and quite insane,” she added before dragging the man away, “the gold is simply chocolate wrapped in gold foil...honest!”

Faith looked at the old guy and his daughter and shrugged, whatever; they weren't evil and she had things to do. Dismissing the two slightly odd people from her mind she continued up the street in search of her car.

0=0=0=0

“It is not the girlie with the ring, she!” Ahme pointed out to Clang once she'd dragged him off the pavement and behind a parked van.

“Ah!” Clang looked around the van and saw Dawn leave her house; quickly he slipped Ahme's grasp and moved towards Dawn like an overweight heat seeking missile.

“Hey, girlie!” the High Priest grinned as he approached Dawn, “You shall have fun eh?”

“W-what?” Dawn looked at the 'dirty-old-man' and wished she'd brought a club or something; honestly what was the world coming to when a respectable young woman couldn't step outside her own house without being propositioned, “Go away,” Dawn said firmly, “I'm not that sorta girl...try Loretta at number fifty-six...”

“The ring,” Clang pointed to the ring on Dawn's finger, “I wish to buy it.”

“Huh?” Dawn cradled her hand and the ring protectively against her chest.

“Look,” Clang once again drew forth his bag of gold and held it out for Dawn to see.

Dawn's eyes grew wide at the sight of all the gold. It has to be understood, Dawn was not a particularly avaricious young woman, she just knew a bargain when she saw one and she could see one right now. Every since the attack of the spider from hell, Dawn's feeling had changed towards the ring. What she'd once thought of as something cool she now thought of something dangerous that she really wanted to get rid of...and soon!

“Okay, the bag of gold for the ring?” Dawn asked slowly, the weird man in the raincoat nodded eagerly, “Okay,” Dawn held out her hand to the man, “its yours!”

Eagerly the High Priest took Dawn's hand and tugged at the ring, of course it wouldn't come off.

“Here let me try,” Ahme appeared next to Clang and tried to remove the ring, it still wouldn't budge.

“Hey!” Dawn cried growing tired of people pulling at her finger, “Let go, it won't come off.”

“So it seems,” Clang agreed.

“There are transcendental techniques,” Ahme started to explain, “that allow the body to...”

Before Ahme could explain what these techniques were and what they could do, Clang had produced a dagger. Brandishing it in the air he tried to grab hold of Dawn's hand and push it against the wall of a nearby house, so he could cut Dawn's ring finger off. Moving quickly, Dawn deflected the priest's hand, just like Faith had taught her, next she brought her knee up in a short, savage jerk and kneed the raincoat clad mugger in the crotch. Turning, Dawn sprinted off down the street in the direction Faith had taken. It didn't take long for her to find both Faith and the car. Pulling open the passenger door, Dawn threw herself inside and slammed the door shut before locking it.

“What's wrong?” Faith demanded as she looked across at her girlfriend.

“Someone tried to cut off my finger and steal my...” Dawn didn't get to finish what she was saying because Faith had jumped out of the car and was heading down the street looking for whoever had laid violent hands on Dawn.

Running down the street, Faith searched for the muggers, but soon slowed to a halt as she saw there was no one on the street this early on a Sunday morning. Standing in the middle of the road with her hands on her hips, Faith looked up and down the deserted road. There was no sign of any muggers, the weird guy and the woman had completely vanished. Turning, Faith walked slowly back to the car and got back in behind the wheel.

“You okay?” Faith asked as she reached out and took Dawn's hand in her own.

“Yeah,” although slightly shaken, Dawn was recovering quickly.

“Do y'know who it was?” Faith asked.

“Some weird guy in a rain coat and a woman in green,” Dawn replied almost completely recovered now; after all the things that had happened to her in her life a failed mugging simply didn't rate that highly.

“What?” Faith cried, this sounded like the couple who'd approached her and offered her gold, “Was gold involved in any of this?”

“Erm, yeah,” Dawn nodded, “they wanted to buy my ring, then when they couldn't get it off the guy tried to cut it off.”

“Y'know Dawnie,” Faith sighed as she held up Dawn's hand with its ring, “ya really should be more careful with ya jewellery choices...lets go see Red before anyone else tries to cut off ya finger.”

“Yeah,” Dawn agreed as Faith started the engine, “you'll get no argument from me...I've sorta grown attached to that finger.”

0=0=0=0

**Willow and Kennedy's House.**

Opening the door, Kennedy didn't need slayer senses to tell her that something was wrong.

“Come in,” standing back and opening the door wide, she let Dawn and Faith into her house, “Willow's in the kitchen.”

Closing the door, Kennedy followed her guests through to the big airy kitchen at the back of the house. Willow and Kennedy's house was much bigger than Dawn and Faith's. It was, in fact, a new, four bedroomed, two story house built in an exclusive estate on the western fringes of Middlesbrough. It had cost a small fortune, but Kennedy could easily afford several 'small fortunes' and once she and Willow had decided they'd be in Middlesbrough for some years yet, Kennedy had insisted that they move out of the 'small' apartment they'd been living in and buy a house. Not that Willow had argued, she rather liked having a nice house and not having to worry about money. Having a rich girlfriend who really loved her, had been a big step up in the world for the Red Witch.

“Hi Dawnie, Hi Faith!” Willow called happily as she saw her two friends come into the kitchen, “Wanna stay for Sunday lunch?” Willow noticed the looks on both Dawn's and Faith's faces, “Oh,” she said her earlier good humour deserting her, “Something's wrong,” it was a statement not a question, “sit down and tell me what happened...”

“Someone tried to cut off Dawnie's finger,” Faith said before Dawn could even open her mouth.

“The ring?” Willow asked looking at Dawn.

“The ring,” Dawn agreed.

“Hey, Dawn,” Kennedy smiled as she joined everyone at the breakfast bar, “I don't mean to sound bitchy or anything...” Kennedy's voice faded away as everyone turned to look at her. “What?” she cried mystified at the looks she was getting off everyone including her girlfriend. “Look, all I was going to say was you should be more careful when buying stuff, what with your track record.”

“Kennie has a point, Dawn,” Willow agreed, “now let me have another look.”

Dawn placed her bejewelled hand on the breakfast bar.

“Sheesh!” Willow gasped, “Y'know it looks bigger in daylight.”

“Whatever,” Faith snapped concerned for Dawn's welfare, “can you get it off her?”

“We'll see,” Willow looked at Kennedy and glanced towards the door to the family room.

Having lived together since two-thousand-and-three, Willow and Kennedy didn't need speech or even telepathy to communicate. Kennedy received Willow's unspoken request loud and clear and acted on it.

“Hey, Faith,” Kennedy stood up, “lets go up to my weapons room and leave Willow to her boring magic stuff.”

“I...” Faith was reluctant to leave, but was persuaded by Kennedy's gentle pressure on her arm.

“Come on,” Kennedy smiled, “I've got these new, wicked cool, throwing stars.”

Reluctantly Faith followed Kennedy out of the kitchen, leaving Willow to hopefully work her magic on Dawn's ring. In silence she followed Kennedy upstairs to her weapons room. Surprisingly the two slayers got on well with each other, Willow said it was because they came from two completely different backgrounds; opposites attracting. However, they did have some things in common; Faith had spent time in prison, while Kennedy had gone to a girl's boarding school in southern England. The two situations were surprisingly similar...although Faith had probably had it easier in prison.

“Here,” Kennedy passed Faith one of her new throwing stars, “y'know if anyone can get that ring off Dawn's hand, Willow can.”

“Yeah I know,” Faith fingered the throwing star, it really was a nice weapon and just for a moment she felt a little jealous of Kennedy for being able to afford this sort of thing, “...but...”

“But you still worry,” Kennedy rested a supportive hand on Faith's arm, “I know if it was me and something was wrong with Willow I'd feel the same.”

“I've never loved anyone like I love Dawn,” Faith admitted quietly.

“Wow,” Kennedy smiled, “that must have taken something for you to admit to in front of witnesses.”

“Yeah,” Faith grinned at her sister slayer, “don't tell anyone will ya? It'd ruin my street cred if Buffy or someone found out I'd turned all girlie.”

“Nothing wrong with being girlie, Faith,” Kennedy pointed out, “Anyway I thought that was the point considering the lives we've been given.”

“Yeah,” Faith grin turned into a smile, “Okay you've won, I know Willow wanted you to get me outta the way,” Faith put down the throwing star, “So, have you an' Willow done anything more about starting a family?”

“Not so much,” Kennedy admitted, “Since we came back from the moon, we've sort of had other stuff on our minds.”

“Yeah,” Faith nodded her head slowly, “Moon-creature invasions...heavy sis.”

“Yeah, but I think its _more_ of a reason to get on with the IVF treatments and have a family,” Kennedy said quickly, “Look, I admit it when Willow first mentioned it I wasn't too keen but now...”

“But now its kinda grown on ya?” Faith asked. 

“Like a fungus,” Kennedy admitted, “what about you and Dawn? Any thoughts on starting a family?”

“Nah,” Faith shook her head, “Dawn doesn't want kids yet an' I don't see m'self as the mom kind of woman.”

“I think you'd make a wonderful mom,” Kennedy replied.

“Hey,” Faith laughed, “this is way too girlie for me, y'think Red's done her mojo?”

“Maybe,” Kennedy shrugged, “wouldn't hurt to go see.”

Walking back downstairs, Faith and Kennedy filed into the kitchen to find Willow and Dawn still sitting at the breakfast bar only now they were sipping from mugs of coffee.

“What's the news?” Kennedy asked as she got Faith and herself a coffee.

“Well,” Willow paused for a moment as Kennedy and Faith joined her and Dawn, “the good news is that the ring isn't magic. The spider-thing hasn't poisoned Dawn and it isn't actually doing her any harm...”

“If ya don't count people trying to cut her finger off,” Faith pointed out.

“Yeah, there is that,” Willow agreed.

“There's bad news?” Kennedy asked quietly.

“Erm...yeah,” Willow hated to admit it but there was, “I've no idea why I can't get the ring off,” she sighed defeated, “there's no spell I can detect and the ring's loose enough so it should just slip off Dawnie's finger...”

“But it won't,” Dawn pointed out, “look guys apart from anything else I've got to get this thing off my finger before I go back to work.”

“Yeah I know Dawnie,” Willow frowned with concern, “and we will get it off...eventually...”

“Without surgery?” Dawn asked.

“Yeah without resorting to sharp knives of any kind...” Willow paused for just a moment, “...how do you feel about lasers?”

0=0=0=0

Shufti: Look. 


	4. Chapter 4

4.

**Willow and Kennedy's House.**

Standing at the living room window, Kennedy watched as Dawn and Faith walked down the garden path and got into their car, she sensed Willow come up behind her.

“What-cha-doin'?” Willow asked as she slipped her arm around Kennedy's waist.

“Thinking,” Kennedy replied as she rested her head on Willow's shoulder.

“This sounds serious,” Willow joked as she pulled her girlfriend closer.

“I was just thinking,” Kennedy ignored Willow's comment but put her own arm around Willow's middle, “I was thinking, if those two,” she gestured to Dawn and Faith's car as it drove off down the street, “ever break up they'll both probably go back to screwing guys.”

“Yeah,” Willow shrugged, “until Faith came on the scene Dawnie had no interest in girls, but Faith used to flirt with Buffy and sometimes Buffy used to flirt right back...”

“No way!” Kennedy looked at Willow in surprise.

“Yep,” Willow nodded, “I often wonder what would have happened if Faith hadn't turned evil an' all.”

The two young women stared out the window in silence for a minute or two.

“Ken honey,” Willow began slowly, “I've been thinking too...”

“Oh yeah,” Kennedy replied suspiciously, “nothing bad I hope.”

“No,” Willow shook her head, “I've been thinking about what you said about not waiting to start a family,” she sighed softly, “I've been thinking there's never going to be a 'perfect' time and we're doing alright now, so I thought...”

“You want to start the IVF treatments?” When Willow had first mentioned starting a family, Kennedy had been fairly neutral about the it; however over the months she'd sort of warmed to the idea.

“Yeah,” again Willow nodded, “I suppose now I'll have to find a fertility clinic...”

“Already done,” Kennedy turned to Willow and pulled her close, “how do you feel about Edinburgh?”

0=0=0=0

**Dawn and Faith.**

Leaving Willow and Kennedy's house, Dawn drove Faith and herself home. After a light lunch, Faith got changed while Dawn tidied up. That afternoon Faith would be playing Rugby, she was on the Middlesbrough University Ladies Rugby Union team and that afternoon they'd be playing against a team from one of the London universities. Faith had taken up the sport not long after coming to live in the UK. It had helped her channel her aggression, energy and assisted with her 'control' issues. For a while Faith had played semi-professionally for a local team but her slaying duties kept getting in the way of her sports career. 

Eventually she'd had to give it up, but when Giles got her a job in the university library, she found the university had a ladies team so she'd joined that. Most of the games were on Sunday afternoons so they didn't interfere with her work or her slaying. At first Dawn had been a little wary about being a 'rugby groupie', but after watching a couple of games she became a firm fan and had even started to watch men's rugby on the TV. Now every time Faith played, Dawn could be found in the stands cheering her on at the top of her voice.

At about one o'clock, Faith said it was time to go, it was only a short drive to the university sports ground, but Faith wanted to get there in plenty of time. Opening the front door, Faith stood on the step and looked up and down the street. Seeing no strange men in turbans or mysterious young women in green, she headed for the car which was only parked a couple of spots down the street from their front door. Following Faith out of the house, Dawn checked that the door was firmly locked behind her before joining Faith at the car. Clicking the ignition key, Dawn opened the doors and climbed into the driver's seat as Faith gave the street one last look.

“Y'know,” Faith said as she dumped her sports bag in the back of the car, “I feel like we're being watched.”

“Spider sense?” Dawn asked as she put the key into the ignition and started the engine.

“Nah,” Faith shook her head as she buckled up, “totally normal paranoia.”

Dawn laughed at Faith's concerns as she manoeuvred the car out onto the road and started to head towards the university.

“Remember you're in the car not your ambulance,” Faith warned as they picked up speed.

“You're never going to let me forget about that, are you?” Dawn sulked.

“Like that thing with Red's cat,” Faith observed with a grin.

“If I didn't love you so darn much I'd...” Dawn didn't know what she'd do, the idea of not loving Faith was preposterous.

“Whatever,” Faith shrugged and changed the subject, “that ring,” she nodded to the big stone on Dawn's left hand, “you okay with having Red's buddy cut it off with a laser?”

“Only as a last resort,” Dawn pointed out as she manoeuvred around a roundabout, “and if this 'Discombobulation Machine' doesn't work.”

Faith laughed as Dawn murdered the name of the machine one of Willow's scientist friends was working on. The idea was that this molecular do-dad machine was supposed to vibrate the ring off Dawn's finger or something. Faith wasn't fully convinced that the machine would work, but Dawn seemed okay with it. After discovering that the ring wasn't itself magic and wasn't being held onto Dawn's finger with magic, Willow had been at something of a loss what to suggest; she'd only really turned to science because she didn't know what else she could do. However, all this would have to wait, they were now at the university sports ground and Dawn was parking up behind the changing rooms. Bringing the car to a halt and switching off the engine, Dawn turned to Faith and grinned.

“Good luck!” Dawn said eagerly as she moved into Faith's arms and they kissed passionately, “Darn gear stick!” Dawn muttered before going back to kissing Faith, she sighed happily as she felt Faith's hand on her breast. “Don't go getting yourself hurt,” Dawn warned when the two young women finally broke apart, “I wanna continue doing this in the privacy of our bed tonight.”

“Cool,” Faith nodded, “no broken bones, okay?”

“That's good,” Dawn agreed.

“Fancy going for a curry before we go home?” Faith reached over the seat and grabbed her sports bag.

“I suppose so,” Dawn really wanted to go straight home after the post match celebrations, but she knew Faith would be hungry for more than just her after the match.

“Great!” Faith smiled and kissed Dawn once more before getting out of the car, “You look out and if you see anyone with a turban call your sister or the Duty Slayer at Central, okay?”

“But Faith...” Dawn didn't want to get her sister involved with her ring problems just yet, or, at all if it could be helped.

“Do it,” Faith warned.

“Okay you big bully,” Dawn sulked like a thirteen year old.

“Right on,” Faith nodded, “you stick around with the guys and I'll see ya after the match, right?”

“Right,” Dawn climbed out of the car and watched Faith head off for the changing rooms.

Locking up the car, Dawn turned away and started to look for the rest of the boy and girlfriends of the other players, as long as she was around people she should be safe from mysterious turbaned men, magic spiders and beautiful dark haired women that weren't Faith.

0=0=0=0

The match went about as you'd expect it to with Faith playing on one of the teams. Not only was Faith a slayer (although she did tone down her abilities when she played), she was also a skilled player. The Middlesbrough team beat the London team by a comfortable margin before inviting the visiting team to the Student's Union Bar for a few beers afterwards.

Dawn always thought how weird it was to invite the losing team for drinks after a match. But that was how things seemed to be done in the world of rugby union. Like this odd thing about having just spent eighty minutes trying to kill each other on the pitch, everyone then shook hands and the teams clapped each other back into the changing rooms, however, this being women's rugby they didn't swap shirts. Whatever, Dawn shrugged as she sipped her orange juice; she'd be driving so she wasn't drinking alcohol, she'd seen way too many RTA's in her career as an ambulance crew-person to mix alcohol with driving. 

Faith appeared next to Dawn and looked to be no worse for her on pitch activities, a slight bruise on her cheek, that would quickly vanish by the following morning, seemed to be her only visible injury. After having one pint of ale, Faith made her excuses to her team mates and started to leave to the accompaniment of ribald laughter and lascivious cheering as she headed for the door hand-in-hand with Dawn.

0=0=0=0

It was a short drive to the Cleveland Shopping Centre were they parked their car. Faith and Dawn headed off into the streets behind the big shopping mall where they quickly came to the 'Star of India' Indian restaurant. It was odd but all Indian restaurants seemed to be called either the 'Taj Mahal' or 'The Star of India'. Pulling Faith to a halt, Dawn looked at the turbaned doorman resplendent in his scarlet tunic, trousers and bejewelled turban. Walking up to the man she held up her ring encumbered hand to the man.

“Do you know anything about rings?” Dawn asked, more in desperation than in any hope of learning anything useful.

“It's very nice,” the doorman replied uncertainly as he eyed Dawn with suspicion.

“It's yours,” Dawn said hoping that the guy might be able to get it off her hand, she was starting to get desperate and had had time to think about the effects of vibrating machines and lasers.

“Nah,” the doorman shook his head, “My missus wouldn't wear a ring like that...” he sniffed dismissively, “...too ostentatious that is.”

“He's from the west!” Dawn pointed at the doorman as she turned to look at Faith.

“Nah,” the doorman shook his head again, “East Stepney,” not only wasn't the doorman from the mysterious east he wasn't even from Middlesbrough or indeed the mysterious north.

“Does this ring mean anything to you?” Faith asked joining Dawn in questioning the cockney doorman.

“Freemason?” asked the doorman hesitantly.

“Are ya all English in here?” Faith asked becoming very suspicious of the authenticity of the restaurant.

“Certainly!” the doorman said with just a hint of surprise, “That's what unions are for.”

Faith looked at Dawn and shrugged, the English were all insane so it was pointless to try and figure out what was going on. Giving up on getting any sense out of the doorman, Faith and Dawn walked on into the restaurant not noticing the ice cream van pull up on the other side of the road, and the dozen or so turbaned men climb from the back of the vehicle.

Inside, Faith and Dawn were shown to their table by another cockney in eastern garb. The restaurant looked new and whoever had decorated it had been heavily into red and gold. There were the Indian equivalents of hunting scenes on the walls plus elephant brasses nailed to the woodwork. It quickly became obvious to Dawn that the decorator had never been to India and seemed to think that an Indian restaurant wasn't that dissimilar from an English country pub. However, the smells coming up from the kitchen were pleasant enough and the little Indian band and the belly-dancer were an interesting distraction.

Unknown to either Faith or Dawn the dozen men from the ice cream van had quickly infiltrated the restaurant and rapidly disposed of the east London staff. Up in the restaurant proper, the band was quietly removed as someone dragged the belly dancer from the floor. All this was done while Faith and Dawn were studying their menus; of course the other diners, being British, were too polite to say anything when the band stopped playing and the dancer vanished. Turning to look for a waiter, Faith found herself looking into the eyes of the mysterious dark haired woman from the morning.

“Your friend is in mortal danger,” Ahme told Faith, “I can say no more.”

“Y'what?” Faith found she couldn't take her eyes off the woman, it was like she was under some sort of spell.

“She has three hours to live,” Ahme lied, “I can say no more.”

Clang having failed to retrieve the ring by peaceful means had decided to be more forceful in his procurement methods. Ahme on the other hand, given a choice would rather not let Clang get the ring back, she'd be much happier seeing Dawn scarified. The reason for Ahme to wish Dawn sacrificed was that her own younger sister had been chosen for this month's sacrifice. While the teenager was happy to go to the dark goddess, Ahme wasn't. If Clang got the ring back, this would mean that Ahme's sister would die. If Dawn was sacrificed or Ahme could prevent both the sacrifice and Clang retrieving the ring, then her sister was safe because at the beginning of the next month a new sacrifice would be chosen.

“W-w-what?” By this time Faith really wished she knew what was going on, she turned from the mysterious eastern woman intending to grab Dawn's hand and go for fish and chips before locking themselves securely in their house.

Just as Faith took hold of Dawn's hand, three waiters turned up at their table, one of whom was sharpening a large carving knife as he stood over the two American women.

“We're going,” Faith started to rise.

“Going?” quieried the man with the carving knife.

“Going?” Dawn gave Faith a puzzled look.

“Pardon me Madam,” the waiter tapped Dawn's ring with his knife, “that is a very fascinating ring you've got there.”

“It is?” Dawn replied.

“Unless I'm very much mistaken,” the waiter (who was really Clang) informed her, “that is the most dreaded and sacred sacrificial ring of the dread Kaili.”

“Excuse me Madams,” one of the other waiters spoke up, “If this young woman is to be sacrificed before the dread Kaili, why is she not painted red?”

“Red?” Dawn gasped.

“Sacrificed?” Faith added with growing concern.

“A victim is offered to the dread Kaili every month,” explained the waiter with the knife, “all are happy to go! The sacrifice is privileged to wear the scared ring from dawn to dusk to dawn and at the end of the happy month, he or she is slaughter with a knife!” the waiter paused and smiled, “Or so I'm told.”

“Come on Dawn, lets get outta here,” Faith got to her feet and started to pull Dawn to hers.

“Hey look,” Dawn held her hand out to the waiter, “If you want the ring you can have it...please!”

Grabbing hold of Dawn's hand the waiter pulled until her hand and wrist were resting firmly on the table. Sensing movement Faith was just in time to push Dawn out of the way before a man with a large sword struck and cut the table into two pieces with one blow. Pandemonium broke out as men armed with knives and balloons filled with red paint erupted from every doorway and from behind the stage.

Ducking under an undamaged table Dawn narrowly missed being splattered with red paint as a balloon burst close by. While she ducked for cover and customers screamed in terror; Faith took down the man with the sword before he could recover. Taking a swing at the waiter with the knife, she managed to knock him across the room and into a potted palm. Given a short breathing space, Faith saw that the knife wielding men appeared to be ignoring her and going after Dawn who was screaming blue murder as they tried to drag her from under the table.

Wading into the crowd, Faith sent be-turbaned assailants flying in all directions, eventually she had a clear path to Dawn and was able to pull her from underneath the table where she'd taken refuge. A paint filled balloon wobbled through the air missing them both by a couple of inches as Faith fought to clear the way to the door. Dawn followed close behind her but had to keep her distance for fear of Faith accidentally hitting her instead of one of the paint throwing assassins.

Feeling someone pulling at her arm, Dawn turned to find herself looking into the murderous eyes of a man with a knife. Dawn pulled back her fist to punch the knifeman on the nose. Unfortunately, she never got a chance because a balloon hit her squarely in her face and she found herself unable to see as the paint filled balloon exploded.

Hearing Dawn's cry of distress, Faith turned ready to do murder only to find that the mysterious dark haired woman had already taken down the knifeman by hitting him over the head with a chair. Not bothering to pause and try to work out what was going on, Faith grabbed Dawn by the hand and dragged her out onto the street. Turning towards the Cleveland Shopping Centre, they ran for their lives.

0=0=0=0


	5. Chapter 5

5.

**Dawn and Faith.**

“Look at me!” Dawn whimpered as she waited for Faith to let her into their car.

After their narrow escape from the Indian Restaurant's, religious assassins, Dawn had been dragged through the streets like some kind of 'Dawn-balloon' on the end of Faith's arm. Faith had only slowed down when they'd got back to the car park under the Cleveland Shopping Centre. Now she was searching in the boot (or 'trunk' as her American self still wanted to call it, but as this was England she didn't) for the old travelling blanket that she was sure was hidden there somewhere.

Okay, Faith told herself, someone was out to sacrifice Dawn to some weird eastern god, but that was no reason to get red paint on the car's upholstery. Finding the old tartan blanket, Faith did in fact pause and look at Dawn, the girl really looked a mess. There was paint on her face, hands, in her hair and her clothes were ruined, they'd all need to be thrown away (not her face, hands or hair, but you get the picture). The only thing that didn't have at least some paint on it was that accursed ring.

“There, there Dawnie,” Faith wasn't a heartless woman and she really did want to wrap Dawn in a protective embrace, but, she didn't want to get paint all over her own clothes. “I'll get ya home,” opening the passenger door Faith spread the blanket over the seat, “then you can clean up, okay?”

Dawn said nothing, she just sobbed miserably, her tears leaving little flesh coloured tracks down her cheeks. After watching Dawn climb into the car, Faith shut the door and stood for a moment checking the dimly lit interior of the underground car park for threats. There was no sign of any knife or paint wielding assassins, they must have called off their pursuit, with a sigh of relief, Faith climbed into the car.

“Soon be home, Dawnie,” Faith told Dawn as she started the engine and put the car into gear; she still wanted to hug Dawn, but she still didn't want to get paint on herself; cursing herself for being a heartless bitch, Faith let off the hand break and floored the accelerator. 

Screaming as she was pressed back in her seat by Faith's savage acceleration, Dawn wondered why these things happened to her. Back in Sunnydale the monsters used to kidnap her because she was Buffy's sister and they wanted to get at her. But since they'd come to Cleveland, she'd not been kidnapped once, here it was worse! Things, and now people, were trying to kill her because she was 'her' and nothing to do with her sister. Okay yes, there was an up side; if she hadn't gone on that mission to Scotland she'd have never known her true feelings for Faith, but as much as she loved Faith was it really worth nearly being killed by a demon-human hybrid soldier? Shrugging, Dawn found she had to admit that it was.

But, there were down side too; even if you ignored the getting covered in paint and nearly dying, all the kidnappings, mind numbing terror and being chained to walls in dank caves had made her just a little 'kinky'. Sometime ago Dawn had discovered she liked being tied up. It had been when Faith and herself were making love, Faith had held her down (it was all in good, clean, fun, Faith wasn't being 'bad'), but as Dawn lay there helpless and unable to free herself from her girlfriend's grasp, she'd suddenly found herself becoming _extremely_ excited.

It was obvious when she thought about it, all those times when she was a young teen and she'd been carried off to some big-bad's lair and chained up. All those times Buffy had rescued her and then after each rescue, her sister would take her for pizza or buy her ice-cream or do something else to make her feel better. Very soon her sub-conscious started to tell her that being kidnapped and chained up was 'good', she even started to look forward to it! However, having her clothes ruined wasn't good and in future she'd miss out the paint throwing part of any further adventures.

0=0=0=0

Luckily, Middlesbrough isn't a very big town and the way Faith drove meant they got home to Saltburn in about ten minutes; Faith had the strange ability to stay within the speed limit, while making it _feel_ as if she was breaking every one of them. Finding a parking spot right outside their house, Faith parked and jumped out of the car, scanning the street for trouble she saw there was no one around and walked around the car to the pavement where she could watch over Dawn as she got out.

Climbing from the car, Dawn walked stiffly towards the door of their house, the paint had dried somewhat and it was making it difficult for her to move. Waiting for Faith to unlock the door, Dawn finally got into the house and breathed a sigh of relief, however this didn't last for long. Entering the house behind her, Faith locked and bolted the door before carefully squeezing around Dawn so she could check out the rest of the house. It looked like the red paint assassins knew where they lived and Faith didn't want to walk into a trap. After a quick search of the house, she declared it safe.

“Go upstairs and take those clothes off an' have a shower,” Faith ordered as Dawn headed for the stairs, “Are ya hungry?”

“Not now, maybe later,” Dawn replied from half way up the stairs.

“Don't worry,” Faith smiled encouragingly, “I'll deal.”

Watching for a moment as Dawn disappeared upstairs, Faith turned and went into the kitchen. Opening the fridge door, she found some left over pasta and put it in the microwave. Having exhausted her culinary skills she walked back into the living room. The downstairs of the house was one big room, the kitchen being towards the rear of the house and the living room looking out onto the street. Upstairs was their bedroom, the second bedroom that had been converted into a bathroom and a small box room where Faith kept her weapons. While the front of the house faced directly onto the street they had a yard at the back surrounded by a six foot high brick wall. There was a door at the far end of the yard that opened on to the alley that ran along the backs of the rows of houses.

For the first time since they'd moved in, Faith started to worry about defending their house against possible attack. The front of the house was the weakest, being actually on the street it wouldn't be hard to come in through the front door or the window. The back wasn't too bad, the high wall provided a good obstacle to slow down any attacker and the door to the alley was sturdy and kept locked and bolted at all times. Looking around the living room, Faith picked out a few spots were she could hide weapons.

Like all good slayers, Faith had a bewildering array of edged weapons, she also had a sawn-off shotgun which was very illegal but very effective. The red-paint assassins appeared to favour blades so she had them beat there, in any fight with bladed weapons Faith was confident she'd come out on top. However, if the bad-guys started to use firearms she'd want her shotgun close by. Deciding that there was no time like the present to get her defences in order, she started up the stairs to begin distributing her stash of weapons around the house.

0=0=0=0

As has been noted the box room where Faith kept her weapons was right next door to the bathroom where at that moment, Dawn was trying to get red paint off her skin. Pausing before putting the security code into the door lock, Faith listened at the door to the bathroom. Apart from the sound of the shower running there didn't seem to be any noise coming from inside the room. Faith frowned in concern, Dawn was an inveterate shower room diva and normally by now she would be entertaining the next door neighbours with a selection of recent musical hits. Tonight, however, no songs floated out of the shower, Faith shook her head, Dawn must have been really scared.

“Dawnie?” Faith knocked on the door, “Dawn are ya okay in there?” There was a mumbled reply that even Faith's slayer hearing couldn't make sense of, “Can I come in?”

“Yes!” 

There was no mistaking that answer, Faith told herself as she opened the door and walked into the bathroom. Stepping over to the bath, she pulled open the shower curtain a little and looked in on Dawn. The younger woman had got the paint off her hands and face, she'd obviously had to scrub quite hard because her skin looked a little pink; but there was still some paint in her hair.

“Hold on,” Faith drank in the hotness that was a wet Dawn Summers and started to remove her own clothes, “I'll give you a hand to get that paint outta ya hair.”

In ten seconds flat, Faith was stepping out of her panties and stepping into the shower. No sooner than she got both feet in the bath than Dawn stepped up to her and wrapped her arms around Faith's body. Standing in the shower under the warm water, Dawn squeezed up close to Faith as they exchanged a long, slow, kiss. After a moment, Dawn broke reluctantly away from Faith's lips to rest her head on Faith's shoulder.

“Some times...” Dawn sighed contentedly, “...no, make that all the time,” she corrected herself, “I don't know what I'd do without you Faith and I don't just mean the fighty stuff and the rescuing...I mean times like this when you're just here for me.”

“Hey,” Faith smiled as she felt Dawn's hard nipples pressed up against her own breasts, she moved her hand up Dawn's body to caress her breast, “what's a girlfriend for if she doesn't get in the shower with ya?”

“Hey!” Dawn cried as she playfully slapped Faith's butt, “I'm trying to be all romantic and serious...”

“Never been one for the romantic an' life's too short to be serious,” Faith pointed out as she tweaked Dawn's nipple between her thumb and forefinger.

“Ow!” Dawn giggled, “That hurt but it felt nice too, do you think I'm getting to be like Willow?”

“What?” Faith asked not really listening to what Dawn was saying, she was too busy running her hands over Dawn's water slick body.

“You know,” Dawn shuddered with pleasure as she felt Faith's hands slide over her skin, “always wanting Kennie to tie her up and spank her...ooooh...” Dawn gasped as one of Faith's hand stopped between her legs and started to stroke her 'love-cleft', “Oh god Faith,” Dawn hugged Faith tighter as she pressed herself more firmly against her girlfriend's body, “Lets go into the bedroom...”

“What an' get the sheets wet?” Faith sniggered as she nuzzled Dawn's neck and nibbled on her ear lobe.

“B-b-but w-what if we slip and...faaaaaall!” Dawn cried out as she started to lose control of her hips as she squeezed Faith's firm breasts in her hands.

Moaning into Faith's wet hair, Dawn rubbed herself against Faith body, she wanted to touch as much of her as she could. Feeling Faith's fingers slide inside her, she moaned loud enough to let the neighbours know exactly what was going on in the bathroom. Leaning against the cold, tiled wall, Dawn started to lose control of her body as Faith rubbed her harder and faster and sucked on her erect nipples. Screaming with pent up passion, Dawn's hips jerked spasmodically as Faith brought her to her first climax.

“Oh god Faith!” Dawn didn't care what the neighbours could hear or what they thought, “Don't stop! Keep...!” Dawn lost the ability to even think as another wave of pleasure swept over her from between her legs.

Gasping for breath, Dawn's legs finally gave way and she slumped against Faith's smooth sensual body, with one last spasm of pleasure, Dawn's climax slowly receded as she held on to Faith and tried to control her breathing.

“Better?” Faith asked as she pulled Dawn upright and kissed her gently on her face and neck.

“Oh...” Dawn sighed happily, “...you wouldn't believe how much better I feel...” she giggled impishly, “...if only Buffy could see us now!”

“If Buffy could see us now,” Faith gave a short bark of laughter, “she'd have a fit or a heart attack or...hell,” Faith shrugged, “she wouldn't be able to deal.” Faith let Dawn go and stood back so their bodies were no longer touching. “Come on, get outta here before ya turn into a prune or something, we'll have something to eat an' I'll get that paint outta ya hair.”

“But Faith!” Dawn cried, “You haven't had your turn!”

“Don't worry, kid,” Faith smiled as she stepped out of the bath and started to pick up her clothes, “the night's still young.”

0=0=0=0

After eating and Faith using her slayer strength to comb out the last few spots of paint from Dawn's hair the two young women went up to their bedroom. Here Dawn made sure that Faith got lots of long climaxes while at the same time getting a few more of her own. Lying in each others arms in the after glow, Dawn snuggled up to Faith and thought how happy she was. In fact she'd not been this happy since she'd been a little girl before Buffy had become the slayer and tried to shut her out of her life.

“Are you happy, Faith?” Dawn asked dreamily.

There was a long pause while Faith considered her answer, Dawn was used to this so didn't feel worried when Faith didn't answer straight away.

“You mean apart from the monsters an' vampires and the weird guys with the paint and knives?” Faith asked.

“Uh-huh,” Dawn nodded her head.

“Then, yeah,” Faith kissed the top of Dawn's head, “coz ya know what?”

“What?” Dawn shifted so she could see Faith's face.

“One hour with you,” Faith explained, “makes all the hours fighting monsters and guys with knives worthwhile.”

“Ooooh, Faith,” Dawn hugged her girlfriend tighter, “you're so romantic.”

“Yeah,” Faith smiled sadly, “romantic, that's me,” she sighed, “Y'know 'til we get that ring off, you're not safe, looks like those guys will keep coming 'til ya either dead or they get their ring.”

“I know,” Dawn replied miserably, “maybe Willow's scientist friend can get it off.”

“Y'know the givin' it back option might not be available anymore?” Faith said slowly.

“What-cha-mean,” Dawn asked, with just a hint of fear in her voice.

“From what that waiter guy said they do a sacrifice every month, right?”

“Uh-huh,” Dawn nodded.

“So, it stands to reason that the closer they get to the end of the month,” Faith pointed out, “the more desperate they'll be about having the sacrifice...y'know we're gonna to have to tell Buffy.”

“Noooo!” Dawn cried, “If we tell her she'll lock me away somewhere and never let me out...ever!”

“Okay,” Faith pulled Dawn closer so she could comfort her more easily, “I'll tell ya what, we'll only go to Buffy if Red's buddy can't get the ring off, okay?”

“Okay,” Dawn sulked, but then started to make herself feel better by playing with one of Faith's nipples, rolling it between her fingers.

“So,” Faith settled back against her pillows as she felt her nipples go hard and her desire for Dawn (which was never very far from the surface) start to rise again, “what was all that stuff about ya being like Red an' wanting to be tied up and spanked?”

“Not spanked,” Dawn kissed Faith's nipple with soft lips, “or tied up, at least not with ropes...” Dawn took Faith's nipple into her mouth and flicked it with her tongue; letting go she looked up at Faith again, “but how do you feel about chains?”

“Erm...” Faith smiled lazily, “...I can ask Kennie were she gets hers...”

0=0=0=0


	6. Chapter 6

6.

**Middlesbrough University, Monday morning.**

“Of course, it won't work,” Doctor Zimmerman told Willow as she followed him across the laboratory, “I don't expect it to work,” Zimmerman sounded defeated before he'd even started, “it might work if the government would spend some more money on it.” Zimmerman stopped to examine a row of rather old fashioned looking dials, he banged the top of a machine with the flat of his hand, “Made in Germany you see...”

“Hey guys...?” Dawn's voice floated across the lab from where she'd been firmly strapped into the doctor's strange machine.

On the other side of the lab, Faith was talking to Doctor Zimmerman's lab technician.

“The idea is...” the Lab Tech (who was called Algernon) offered Faith a cup of tea, she refused with a shake of her head, “The idea as I see it,” Algernon continued after sipping his tea, “is that we expand the molecules and the ring grows bigger and just drops off!”

“Okay...yeah, I get that but...” Faith looked around at all the flashing lights and humming machinery, finally she had to ask the question that had been bugging her for the last five minutes, “...what's your electricity bill like?”

“Oh, it's sort of a long computer print-out thing,” Algernon replied a little confused by Faith's question.

“Erm...guys?” Back at the other end of the room Dawn tried to attract someone's attention, she had a very important question she wanted to ask.

“As I understand it,” Willow continued to talk to Doctor Zimmerman and ignored anything Dawn was trying to say, “the idea is that this machine will expand the non-living molecules making everything but Dawn bigger.”

“That's right, Doctor Rosenberg,” Zimmerman agreed, if the truth was known Zimmerman was a little in awe of Willow, her scientific skills and her general hotness.

“GUYS!” Dawn, fed up with being ignored, finally resorted to yelling.

“Dawnie?” Willow looked over to where the younger woman was firmly strapped to an upright metal dissecting table and surrounded by strange flashing, weirdly scientific looking 'things', it all reminded Willow of a mad scientist's lab from a particularly bad nineteen-fifties horror movie.

“Do I really need to be strapped in so tightly?” Dawn wanted to know.

Looking Dawn up and down, Willow had to admit there were a lot of straps holding her friend in place. Not only were there straps at Dawn's wrists and ankles, there were straps around her thighs, hips, both above and below her breasts and around her neck and forehead.

“Doctor?” Willow turned to Zimmerman for an answer.

“Its vital that the vic...I mean, the subject, is held perfectly still,” Zimmerman explained.

“See Dawnie?” Willow turned back to Dawn with a bright smile on her face, “You've got to be held perfectly still...”

Dawn groaned unhappily, all the straps, the inability to move plus the utter terror of not knowing what was going to happen to her was beginning to turn her on. It was just like being chained to a cave wall again, only this time when Faith rescued her she wouldn't be getting Dawn ice cream; Dawn'd get something much, much better. The thought of what Faith and herself would be doing directly after she'd got this stupid ring off her finger made Dawn smile and relax a little.

“Any change?” Zimmerman asked Dawn, he didn't sound as if he expected her to tell him any good news, Dawn didn't disappoint him.

“It's not dropped off yet,” Dawn replied despondently, “not even a tingle.”

Zimmerman tapped some dials, switched some switches and turned some knobs, studying a read out he sighed tiredly.

“Voltage!” he turned to where Algernon was still talking to Faith, “Voltage...up...up...”

Zimmerman walked across the lab to where a blastwall made of sandbags stood and gestured for Algernon to increase the voltage to the machine.

“Erm, guys,” Dawn called from the depths of the machine, “are you sure I'm earthed?”

“Oh no!” cried Algernon as he searched for his screwdriver, “Hold on!”

Coming out from behind the blastwall Algernon headed over to where a multitude of plugs were plugged into about half their number of sockets. He started to work with his screwdriver and a new plug he'd taken from the pocket of his labcoat.

“Made in Germany,” Zimmerman muttered to anyone willing to listen, “streets ahead of anything we've got...”

“These are English,” Willow held up a pair of pliers she'd found on a desktop.

“Is green the earth in Germany?” Algernon asked from across the room.

“In some places its brown,” Faith pointed out from behind the safety of the blastwall.

“She's not earthed,” announced Algernon as he held up a loose wire.

“He's an idiot,” Zimmerman said dismissively.

“Please guys...” Dawn wailed from the depths of the machine but everyone ignored her.

“A degree in woodwork,” Zimmerman told Willow haughtily, “I ask you!?”

“Done!” Algernon proudly put away his screwdriver once he'd finished work on the new plug.

“Guys...” Dawn sobbed in despair but still everyone ignored her.

Algernon swapped plugs and sockets until he had a place to plug in the new plug, with a flurrish he plugged Dawn in, hopefully she was now earthed.

“Please guys...” Dawn's voice drifted across the lab, “...please let me go...I'll be good...promise...”

“I like to observe the correct procedure,” the technician told Dawn who was held captive only a few feet away, “they'll thank me for it in the end.”

“Pleeeeez let me go,” begged Dawn, her nipples were growing harder by the second as she became more and more sexually aroused; all the fear and the warm, sexy feelings were very confusing.

“Its the plugs you see,” the technician went on, ignoring Dawn's pleas, “good, British plugs...all this German stuff, its the wrong voltage that's what foxes me.”

Dismissing Dawn from his mind, Algernon walked back towards the safety of the blastwall where Doctor Zimmerman, Willow and Faith were already standing.

“Pleeeeez!” Dawn wept, but no one was paying her any attention.

“Voltage...up!” Zimmerman ordered.

Algernon turned some knobs and pulled on a lever or two. Slowly the humming, that had always been in the background until now, got louder and louder. 

“Voltage...up, up, up!” cried Zimmerman with just a slight maniacal edge to his voice.

Once again the technician increased the voltage and the humming got louder still as lights flashed crazily. Looking over at Dawn, Willow frowned slightly; Dawn began to osculate in time with the machine, scowling even harder, Willow noticed that Dawn was starting to glow!

“THE BUNKER!” Yelled Zimmerman as he climbed over the sand bag wall and took shelter leaving Willow exposed to the machine.

“Yikes!” Willow squeaked as she ran around the end of the wall and took cover.

Over at the machine Dawn was now glowing a pretty pink colour as she vibrated in tune with the high-pitched whining of the machine. Slowly the rings on her right hand started to slide off her fingers as their molecules got bigger. Unfortunately so did the molecules in her clothes and they too started to slip from her body. Luckily for Dawn the straps holding her into the machine prevented her clothes from slipping too far.

“I can't watch,” Willow hid behind the blastwall and covered her eyes; she'd just realised exactly how _hot_ her best friend's little sister was and she was overcome with guilt; as soon as Kennedy got home tonight Willow would have to get her to give her a good spanking for thinking such naughty thoughts about Dawn.

“It's working!” Zimmerman cried in surprise, “Give it the gun, Algernon...MAW-HA-HA!”

Algernon the technician turned more knobs and pulled more levers making Dawn glow more brightly and vibrate more violently as the machine hummed and whined more loudly. By now Dawn had lost every piece of jewellery she'd been wearing and her clothes hung around her like big loose sacks, her panties were only prevented from dropping to her ankles by the straps around her thighs. However her skirt had slipped right down to the straps and everyone could now see a lot more of Dawn Summers than she'd prefer. Luckily, Faith had already seen all of Dawn that there was to see and the two scientists were too interested in what the machine was doing and Willow had her eyes tightly shut.

However, the ring, which was the subject of all this fuss and excitement, had not moved one millimetre and remained firmly attached to Dawn's finger. Seeing Algernon reach for a control to increase the voltage going to the machine even more, something in Faith finally snapped. She looked over to where Dawn glowed and vibrated and realised that not only was the ring not coming off but her girlfriend was in mortal danger.

“STOP IT!” Faith cried as she grabbed hold of Algernon.

“No!” the technician replied urgently, “It's more than my job's worth to stop him when he's like this,” Algernon did however relinquish control of the machine to Faith, “he's out to rule the world, y'know,” Algernon gestured to Zimmerman, “if he can get a government grant.”

“This is all crap,” Faith switched every switch and lever she could reach to their 'off; positions, “You're nothing but a mad scientist!”

“Heeeelp!” Dawn's voice came weakly to the people in the bunker.

“Fantastic!” Zimmerman ignored everything and everyone, “With a ring like that I could...” he paused for just a moment, “...dare I say it?” He said it, “Rule the world!!!” Zimmerman turned to face Faith, Willow was still crouched behind the wall with her eyes tightly closed, “I must have that ring...” turning to his assistant he cried (with more than a hint of insanity in his voice), “Algernon! The laser!!”

“Don't you dare!” Faith cried; she followed the mad scientist out of the bunker as he headed towards Dawn, “Get offa her you freak!”

“I must have the ring, my precious,” chortled the scientist as he won the race to be first to get to Dawn.

“The laser?” Algernon queried.

“W-what laser?” Willow opened her eyes and stood up wondering what was going on. “Hold it!” Willow could now see what was going on and realised Dawn was in danger, “Faith, get Dawnie outta that thing.”

Faith pushed Zimmerman to one side and started to unstrap Dawn.

“Oh Faith,” Dawn moaned weakly, “take me home...chain me to a wall and ravish me...pleeeez?”

“Maybe later,” Faith replied as she struggled with the straps and Dawn's oversized clothes.

“I've got it...” Algernon heaved a large silver machine into position, this it appeared was the much advertised laser.

“The laser...” Zimmerman whispered urgently out of the side of his mouth.

“The laser, yes...” Algernon struggled to untangle the electric cord and checked the plug before plugging the laser into a spare socket.

“I'll be talking to the ethics committee about you Doctor Zimmerman,” Willow warned as she walked by the scientist to help Faith hold Dawn and her outsize clothes up. 

“I'm better with animals than plugs and micro-chips,” Algernon muttered as he continued to struggle with the laser.

“M-I-T was after me you know?” Zimmerman told Willow, “They wanted me to rule the world for them.”

“I love animals,” Algernon mused, “they trust me, I should have gone into vivisection.”

“Come on Red,” Faith called urgently, “lets get outta here.”

“Laser's ready,” Algernon called quietly.

“GET THEM!” Zimmerman cried not so quietly.

Picking up the overly large comedy laser, Algernon activated it as he pointed it a the floor. There was a high pitched whistling as the laser cut through the floor tiles and smoke billowed into the air. Just as the laser beam was about to cut off Willow's feet there was a loud band followed by a bright flash as the laser broke down.

“Its the wrong plug,” Algernon sighed, “just give me five minutes and I'll...”

Algernon didn't get to finish what he was saying. Backing away from the mad scientist, his assistant and their laser, Willow made a gesture with her hand and the room was suddenly full of evil smelling smoke. The distraction let the three young women escape from the insane scientist's lair.

“Its the brain drain...” Zimmerman sobbed as the smoke slowly dissipated, “...his brain's draining.”

0=0=0=0

**Dawn and Faith's house.**

“What now?” Faith asked as she sat down on the couch next to Willow.

Upstairs Dawn was changing into some new clothes and was thinking that if this adventure didn't end soon she'd have nothing left to wear.

“Well there is something,” Willow replied slowly.

“Like what?” Faith wanted to know.

“There might be a spell I can use,” Willow continued uncertainly.

“This sounds dangerous,” Faith pointed out.

“Well it could be,” Willow admitted, “but if we do it under controlled conditions it should be safe enough.”

“I don't know...” Faith began but was interrupted by Dawn before she could finish.

“I'll try anything,” Dawn cried from the top of the stairs, “I just want this freakin' thing off me!” She waved her ring at everyone, “I'm seriously running short of outfits to wear...”

“Ah,” Willow whispered, “the Summers-clothes-horse-gene comes to the fore again.”

“Yeah, I've noticed that too,” Faith confided.

“So,” Dawn bounced down the stairs, either not hearing or pretending not to hear what Willow and Faith were saying; she threw herself onto the couch between the two women, “what's this spell?”

“Well...” Willow began hesitantly as she looked around Dawn at Faith, “...we've tried to make the ring bigger so I thought why not make Dawnie smaller?”

“Smaller?” Faith already didn't like this idea, “Just how much smaller?”

“Not much...” Willow suddenly wouldn't look Dawn or Faith in the eye.

“How much smaller, Red?” Faith asked warningly.

“Oh about the size of a Barbie,” Willow finally admitted.

“Hey!” Faith turned towards Willow angrily, “No one's turning my girlfriend into a Barbie doll!”

“She won't be a doll, Faith,” Willow tried to calm Faith's fears, “she'll still be Dawn...only...y'know...smaller.”

“I don't care,” Dawn spoke up for herself, “I just want this thing offa me, okay?”

“It's reversible, right?” Faith wanted to know.

“Of course it is,” Willow replied slightly hurt, “you don't think I'd leave Dawnie Barbie-sized do you?”

Faith's silence spoke volumes.

“Look,” Willow started to explain, “I do the spell, Dawn shrinks and the ring falls off, okay?”

“Okay,” Faith nodded, “but what happens next?”

“I either do the reversal spell or...” Willow paused for a moment, “...in about five or ten minutes Dawn goes back to being her normal size.”

“You sure?” Faith still didn't really believe Willow, normally she had no problem with Willow's magic, unless it involved Dawn's well-being, then all bets were off.

“Sure I'm sure,” Willow smiled encouragingly, “look Dawn's body wants to be the shape and size it is now...”

“No it doesn't,” Dawn blurted out, “it's always wanted bigger boobs and a smaller butt...”

“Dawnie,” Faith smiled, “I think your boobs an' butt are perfect just the way they are...” she glared at Willow, “...which is why I don't want anyone messin' with 'em.”

“No look,” Willow tried to explain again, “the only thing that'll be stopping Dawn from being Dawn sized will be the spell and as that begins to weaken, Dawn will start to grow.”

“You sure you're sure?” Faith asked once again.

“Yes!” Willow replied firmly.

“Hey!” Dawn stood up and turned to look down at her girlfriend and the woman who'd been like a sister to her in both the good times and bad. “It's up to me, right? So, unless we want to spend the rest of our lives fighting off guys with paint filled balloons and sharp knives I'm telling Willow to do the spell, okay?”

0=0=0=0


	7. Chapter 7

7.

**Dawn and Faith's House, Monday Evening.**

Sitting on the stairs, Kennedy watched as Willow marked out a pentagram on the floor of Dawn and Faith's living room. Earlier Faith and herself had moved all the furniture back against the walls and rolled up the carpet so Willow could draw her magical symbols directly onto the floor boards.

Kennedy wasn't so much troubled as concerned; the last time Willow had used magic when Dawn was in the mix was during their attempt to retrieve Buffy after she'd been kidnapped by some guy with a time machine. The retrieval spell had required some of Dawn's blood and during the ceremony, Willow had started to act all weird. Her roots had started to turn black and she'd begun to cackle in a 'wicked witch' sorta way until Kennedy'd had to render her girlfriend unconscious. It wasn't something Kennedy liked to do, but given the choice of Willow going evil and trying to destroy the world and using a sleeper hold on her best-girl, she'd save the world every time. You had to keep things in perspective, one life for billions, however, she still didn't feel 'right' about doing it.

“Okay, done,” Willow got up from the floor, looked at her pentagram and smiled at a job well done.

“Erm, Willow,” Dawn had been watching Willow work from the kitchen, “can you tell me why, if this isn't a dangerous spell, is it that you need to draw on my floor boards?”

“Oh, yeah,” Willow turned to look at Dawn, “it's all part of my responsible magic campaign...”

“Responsible magic?” Faith asked warily as she cast Kennedy a worried glance.

“Yeah,” Willow nodded as she brushed chalk from her fingers, “the pentagram will keep the effects of the spell contained, in the very unlikely event, of something going wrong...and its only chalk so it'll wash off easily.”

“Uh-huh,” Dawn eyed Willow with more than a little scepticism, however she did want the ring off her finger so the guys with the paint would stop trying to kill her. “Okay what do I do?”

“Right,” Willow picked up her magic book and opened it at the right page, “Dawnie I want you to stand in the middle of the pentagram...and you might wanna take your clothes off...it's up to you,” Willow smiled, “but it might be best.”

“Why?” Dawn asked making no move to remove any of her clothing.

“Yeah, why?” Faith asked with more than a little menace in her voice.

“Look,” Willow sighed heavily as she tried to explain, “when I do the spell, Dawn's gonna shrink, but her clothes won't. So, she'd going to find herself lost in a great bundle of her clothes. It'll take longer for us to find her and the ring and the longer it takes to find her the longer she'll have stay diminutive Dawn. It's really better that she strips off now...”

“Oh,” Dawn, thought about Willow's explanation for a moment, “Yeah, like it does sound logical I suppose,” she started to pull off her t-shirt, “You're totally sure this isn't some cunning plan to see me in the nude?”

“Sure!” Willow said just a little too hastily, “The thought had never crossed my mind...honest!”

Glancing across the room, Willow saw Kennedy watching her suspiciously. Shivering with desire, Willow realised she was going to get such a spanking tonight when they got home that she'd have to sleep lying on her tummy.

“Okay,” Willow looked around the room before she checked one last time that she had the book open at the right page, “if everyone's ready we'll begin...”

0=0=0=0

**The street outside Dawn and Faith's house.**

Standing on the rain damp pavement outside Dawn and Faith's house, Clang watched as his parishioners got into position. The plan was deceptively simple. Two groups of Kaili worshippers would gain access to the house of the Chosen One at both front and rear. They would then throw red paint over the Chosen One and then kill her. The plan was simple and shouldn't take more than about five minutes to complete, what could stop them? After all there were only four women in the house, what could they possibly do to stop the followers of Kaili from doing the will of the Dark Goddess.

“You, you and you,” Clang pointed to the first three men in the assault force, “cover her in paint then kill her, okay?”

The three men nodded as Clang looked at his watch. Any moment now he would send the followers of the dark goddess into battle while Bhuta would do the same for the men at the rear of the house. The only thing that was concerning him was that Ahme, the Goddess' High Priestess, appeared to have vanished. However, he was sure they could manage without her. Checking his watch again, Clang saw that there were only seconds to go, he looked at the men clutching their tins of paint and swords. Bringing his watch up to his face he counted off the last few seconds.

“Five...four...three...two...one!” Clang cried, “KAILI!”

“KAILI!” called the men as they jumped to their feet and rushed towards the house.

0=0=0=0

Having only managed to say the first line of the spell, Willow was interrupted by the telephone ringing. Being the closest, Kennedy picked up the land line.

“Hello?” she said, “The Summers-Lehane residence...” Kennedy listened for a moment before putting the phone down with a puzzled frown on her face.

“Who was it sweetie?” Willow asked.

“Don't know,” Kennedy shrugged, “some strange woman just said, 'beware' then hung up.”

“How odd...” Willow agreed before going back to reading her spell from the beginning again.

Once more Willow was interrupted when she'd only read the first few words of the hex. This time she had to stop because someone had thrown a dustbin in through the front window, while someone else had kicked in the front door. After that she was too busy screaming to bother much with the spell.

Reacting with commendable speed, Faith and Kennedy sprang to their feet and reached for the weapons hidden around the room. Weapons at the ready they moved to confront the men pouring into the front of the house through the door and window.

Standing in the middle of the pentagram wearing nothing but a worried expression, Dawn screamed as the window exploded and the door banged open; she _really_ screamed when all the men with swords started to flood into the room. Jumping out of the pentagram, Dawn found her pathway to the stairs and the sanctuary of her and Faith's bedroom momentarily blocked by struggling slayers and men with swords. Letting out a squeak of fear, she headed towards the kitchen and the rear of the house. Standing in the kitchen area, Dawn looked around desperately for something to wear, seeing an apron, she was just going to grab it when another man with a sword burst into the room through the back door.

“KAILI!” Yelled the man as he raised his sword ready to kill, however something stopped him and he stood perfectly still.

The next man through the door carried a tin of paint, he grinned menacingly at Dawn as he advanced slowly towards the naked girl. Dawn backed up as she tried to cover herself up with the rather small apron (Dawn made a mental note that if she survived the night, in future she'd buy bigger aprons).

“KAILI!” yelled the man with the tin as he made to throw paint over Dawn.

There was an embarrassed silence when the man realised he'd forgotten to open his tin of paint before entering the house. He now fell on the tin trying to claw it open with his finger nails as his friend with the sword stood around and shuffled his feet not knowing what he was supposed to do. Casting caution and her inadequate apron to one side, Dawn picked up a kitchen stool and threw it at the head of the man with the sword. The man ducked as the stool sailed over his head and hit the next man coming through the backdoor right in the teeth. Clutching his ruined mouth the man in the doorway stumbled backwards and got caught up with the men following him. 

Grabbing a heavy teapot off the working surface next to the sink, Dawn threw it, cold tea and all, at the man on the floor as he tried to open his tin of paint. The tea pot sailed over his head to smash on the floor behind him. Looking around frantically for another weapon, Dawn saw her little used frying pan. Grabbing it, she hefted it her hand, it was a good solid pan, heavy enough to crush a man's skull. With a scream of rage tempered with more than a little fear, Dawn brandished the frying pan and attacked the man with the sword.

0=0=0=0

Out in the front room the sound of sword on sword filled the air as the two slayers fought side by side to hold back the horde of sword and paint wielding foes. The house wasn't large so it could only hold so many, manic, sword waving, assassins. However, while the invaders had no compunction about trying to kill Faith or Kennedy, the two slayers found they had to hold back and only go for disabling attacks for fear of filling the living room up with dead bodies. Not only was there the problem of redecorating once all the blood had been moped up. They'd also have to take into account what the local police would say about piles of bodies roughly butchered with swords lying around in the street. This wasn't Sunnydale and the Cleveland police generally frowned on sword fights.

Standing on the stairs, Willow thumbed urgently through her spell book trying to find a suitable hex. All she seemed to be able to find were bunny and shrimp related spells. If Faith and Kennedy hadn't been so closely engaged with the frantic fanatics she'd have tried the miniaturisation spell she'd been going to use on Dawn. But the two slayers were hopelessly mixed in with their opponents to use the spell. If she used it now it would just turn into a fight between Barbies and Action Men. Not knowing what else to do, Willow hit one of the invaders over the head with her spell book, she smiled as she saw his eyes roll up into his head as his legs gave way and he fell to the floor.

“Heavy reading,” Willow muttered as she sort out another victim.

0=0=0=0

Out in the kitchen the swordsman retreated from the naked girl with the frying pan, he wasn't allowed to kill her until she was painted red, this put him at a serious disadvantage. In the doorway the rest of the assault force was still trying to organise themselves and push their way into the house.

Swinging her pan with all her strength, Dawn hit the swordsman on the side of the head making a resounding clang as the pan struck home. Down went the swordsman, dropping his sword as he crashed to the floor Unfortunately Dawn didn't have time to congratulate herself on her victory or indeed find something to wear. No sooner had she rendered the first swordsman hors de combat, than the men outside got themselves organised and burst into the kitchen. At the same time the man with the paint, after breaking all his nails, had got the lid off his tin. Suddenly, Dawn was faced by a lot of eager men who wanted nothing more in the world than to cut her up into very small pieces and a man with an open tin of paint. 

Of the two parties, Dawn judged the man with the paint to be the most dangerous, while she was untouched by paint she was relatively safe. Swinging her frying pan, Dawn hit the paint-man on the side of his head. He staggered and started to fall to the floor. Unfortunately he'd already started to throw paint at Dawn before she'd hit him.

As if in slow motion Dawn saw the paint coming towards her in one big, scarlet, blob. Desperately she tried to get out of the way as the great blob of paint spread out as it flew through the air like some great, menacing red, spectre. Shrieking with fear, Dawn felt the paint hit her skin and heard it splatter against the wall behind her and at her feet. Wiping paint out of her eyes she looked up to see what looked like hundreds of sword armed men coming towards her their weapons raised ready to strike. Just when it looked like it was curtains for Dawn a gunshot split the air and everybody froze.

Standing in the ruin of the front door Doctor Zimmerman looked at the revolver in his hand as if it had somehow just appeared there and gone off. Everyone else, religious fanatics, Slayers, witches and young women covered in red paint all stopped to look at him. This tableau was broken by Algernon as he stumbled through the door behind Zimmerman. Outside in the street Clang saw that once again his plans had been thwarted.

“Oh my goodness gosh,” he cried with despair, “Withdraw, withdraw!”

The followers of Kaili started to exit Dawn and Faith's house via the doors and freshly broken windows.

“Up!” cried Zimmerman as he gestured with his pistol, “Up, up, up, up!” he cried as he advanced towards Faith and Kennedy, he tripped on an unconscious fanatic but quickly recovered himself.

“YOU!” Willow cried in surprise, “I'm definitely going to tell the ethics committee about you...first thing in the morning.”

“Which one has the ring?” Zimmerman demanded still pointing his gun but staying sufficiently distant from the two slayers to prevent either of them from jumping him.

“That one sir, the girl covered in red paint,” Algernon said with a sly grin as he noticed the naked, red girl in the kitchen area.

“Its yours!” Dawn sobbed; her mother had never told her there would be days like this; covered in paint and under threat of being sacrificed to some strange eastern god.

“Keep your hands up,” again Zimmerman waved his gun about.

“How can I give you the ring,” Dawn wailed, “with my hands up?”

“In the name of science,” Zimmerman began full of his own self importance, “I demand that ring!”

“Its yours, its yours,” Dawn insisted as she held her hand out to the mad scientist.

“Hold on Dawnie,” Willow cried from the stairs where she was once again looking for a suitable spell and wishing she'd come more prepared for possible trouble, “don't give him anything!”

“Had to organise all this myself,” Zimmerman muttered darkly, “Backward Britain they call us on Wall Street,” Zimmerman laughed bitterly (and just a little insanely), “With a ring like that, could I interest the military?” Zimmerman shook his head, “No, I could not.”

“See, I can't get it off,” Dawn cried despondently as she struggled to remove the ring once more.

“Right Algernon,” Zimmerman turned to his assistant and smiled evilly, “my little black bag, I shall have to operate.

“Will that be on the National Health?” Kennedy asked trying to lighten the mood.

“Right I've had it with you!” Faith snapped angrily as she took a step towards Zimmerman.

Turning, Zimmerman pointed his weapon at Faith and pulled the trigger, there was a loud click as the pistol failed to fire.

“Get out, before I throw ya out!” Faith took another menacing step towards Zimmerman.

“British you see,” Zimmerman stared at his revolver, his dreams of world domination lying in tatters at his feet, “Useless...now if I had a Luger...” Zimmerman and Algernon backed slowly towards the door, “...German scientists are properly equipped...think on it...” Zimmerman and Algernon squeezed through the door and out into the street, “The remedy's in your hands...you, the voters...”

“What a strange man,” Willow observed as she joined the others in what remained of the living room.

“Well at least, no one's dead and the paints only in the kitchen,” Kennedy tried to look on the bright side, seeing the look of thunder on Faith's face she shrugged, “forgive me for seeing the glass half full...” again she paused, “...tell you what, I'll start cleaning up that paint before it dries.”

Kennedy hurried into the kitchen and started to look for something to clean up the paint.

“Kennie's right,” Faith admitted reluctantly, it was time to get organised, “Dawnie, go upstairs and get that paint off, I'll be up in a while to help, Red,” Faith turned to Willow, “can ya do some mojo to repair the doors an' windows?”

“Yeah,” Willow nodded, “but it'll only be temporary.”

“That's good enough.” Faith pointed out, “once we're secure here we'll need to call Buffy...I think it's time we involved her and Giles.”

0=0=0=0


	8. Chapter 8

8.

**Buffy's Office, Slayer Central, Saltburn-by-the-Sea.**

“Red?” Buffy asked; Dawn, Faith, Kennedy and Willow all stood in front of her desk like four naughty schoolgirls sent to see the Principal.

“Erm, yeah, red,” Willow repeated, “You see Dawnie can't be sacrificed until she's been painted red...”

“Red?” Buffy said again as she turned to look at her sister, “So, Dawn, what have you got to say for yourself?”

“It's not my fault!” Dawn exclaimed, “I didn't know that someone would try and kill me when I bought that stupid ring.”

“Dawn, you know better than this,” Buffy looked up from her desk and shook her head in dismay, “you know the rules...”

“Hey, back off 'B',” Faith came to the defence of her girlfriend, “what's Dawn supposed to do, run everything by you whenever she buys anything?”

“No, but...” Buffy tried to interject but was cut off this time by Willow.

“Faith's right,” Willow told Buffy forcefully, “This isn't Dawn's fault, it's nobody's fault except the assholes who are trying to kill your sister.” Willow took a deep breath, “Your sister needs help, not recriminations!”

“Yay!” Kennedy cheered quietly, “Way to go Willow!”

Buffy flashed Kennedy an angry look which bounced of Kennedy's impenetrable self-confidence.

“What do you expect me to say?” Kennedy replied to Buffy's look, she put her arm around Willow's shoulder, “My girlfriend, right or wrong.”

“Yeah,” Faith agreed as she slipped her arm around Dawn's waist, “what, Kennie said.”

“Okay,” Buffy raised her hands like she was going to surrender, “but you haven't been talking to the police all morning...” Buffy sighed, “...do you know how hard it is to explain stuff to people when you don't know what's going on yourself?”

“Sorry,” Willow hung her head a little, “maybe we should have said something earlier...but...”

“But?” Buffy raised an eyebrow waiting for Willow to finish what she was saying.

“But we thought you'd react very much like you have,” Willow explained.

“Yeah,” Dawn crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her sister, “I love you Buffy, but you can be a hard ass sometimes.”

“Hard ass,” Kennedy sniggered quietly.

“Not helping sweetie,” Willow glanced at her girlfriend.

“Sorry,” Kennedy squeezed Willow's shoulder affectionately.

“So, B,” Faith wanted to know, “what do we do now? These guys are gonna keep coming, looks like they won't stop until Dawnie's dead.”

“Dead Dawnie?” Dawn whimpered.

“Okay,” Buffy looked along the line of women in front of her desk; they now had the demeanour of an angry mob rather than the contrite schoolgirls of a few minutes ago, “so what do we know about these guys?”

Before anyone could answer Buffy's telephone rang.

“Excuse me I better get this,” Buffy picked up the receiver, “its probably the police or worse yet the newspapers...”

As Buffy picked up her phone, all those present with more than human ears could hear what sounded like Indian sitar music coming from the phone's earpiece.

“Hello, Slayer Adventure Training School, Buffy Summers...” Buffy's face went blank and her eyes became unfocused as she listened to the music and heard a voice speaking to her commandingly.

“Go to the window...” said the voice at the other end of the phone, “...go to the window...” it repeated; Buffy put down the phone and turned to her window, “...go to the window!”

As if in a dream Buffy walked towards her office window.

“It's them!” Kennedy cried as she realised what was happening.

“Grab her!” Willow ordered as Faith leaped towards Buffy.

Hitting Buffy with a rugby tackle, Faith knocked the senior slayer to the floor just as a balloon filled with red paint and attached to an arrow, flew in through the open window. The arrow thumped into the opposite wall just as another arrow followed the first and hit the balloon sending red paint flying in all directions and all over Buffy's office.

“W-what?” Buffy shook her head and wondered for a moment why Faith was lying on top of her and why they were both on the floor; suddenly it all came back to her, she pointed at the phone, “Hang up, now!”

Quickly, Kennedy slammed the receiver back into its cradle as Buffy struggled out from under Faith. Getting to her feet, she saw for the first time what had happened to her office.

“Aaagh!” she cried when she saw the paint splattered all over the walls, her new carpet and the furniture Xander had made for her.

Buffy had not long had her office redecorated after having her new executive bathroom fitted and fighting off an incursion by CIA spies. So she was mightily annoyed that someone who, not being content with trying to kill her sister, now also seemed to be trying to ruin her office!

“Look what they've done to my office!” Buffy screeched.

Buffy loved her office, for a very long time after the Slayer Organisation had set up in England, she'd had to make do with a poky, cold office with a battered ancient desk and a squeaky old chair. Now she had a nice office, one that suited her position as head of the Slayer Organisation and now someone had ruined it.

“Right!” Buffy snarled angrily as she picked up the phone, “I'll teach these bastards to try and kill my sister and ruin my office...” Buffy waited a moment for her secretary to answer her phone, “Nancy?” Buffy took a deep breath, “Could you ask Mr Giles to come and see me, tell him its urgent. Then get the Duty Slayer to lock down the camp I want all slayers and instructors to defence stations like yesterday...”

“Very commanding,” Kennedy whispered to Dawn who Kennedy had thrown to the floor on seeing the arrow and was now helping her back to her feet.

Somewhere in the distance a siren started to wail.

“Hey,” Willow looked around and frowned, “when did you have that put in?”

“I had Xander fix it up last week,” Buffy explained, “it'll have to do until the lasers arrive...”

“Lasers?” Willow repeated dubiously.

Okay, Willow thought, so people had been able to get into Slayer Central and plant incriminating evidence in Buffy's chalet, but that was before Xander and herself had done a security upgrade. Sure those CIA spies had got into the camp even after the upgrade; but the Active Counter Measures had got them once they were inside. So, weren't lasers a little over the top? Talking about it to Buffy would have to wait because Giles had just burst into her office.

“Buffy!” Giles cried as he rushed across the room, pausing only for a moment when he noticed the paint and the arrows, “Oh, I say,” he muttered with commendable understatement, then in a louder voice he asked, “I heard the raid warning, what's wrong?”

By the time Buffy, Dawn, Faith and Willow, had explained (Kennedy had thought it best to keep quiet and watch out the window for any more paint carrying arrows) Giles was to say the least, confused.

“Is this the ring?” he asked as he held Dawn's hand in his own and brought it up so he could look at it closely, “I have to say it all does sound slightly familiar,” he let go of Dawn's hand so he could polish his glasses, “I'll need to do some research.”

As Giles left Buffy's office, the Duty Slayer came in; she was pretty, well spoken girl of Jamaican ancestry called, Molly.

“The gates are locked and all slayers are on alert and in defensive positions, Miss Summers,” Molly reported as she eyed the people standing around Buffy's office and became more worried by the moment; with all these important people standing around things must be serious. “But...”

“But?” Buffy turned towards the girl.

“Erm...” Molly didn't know where to begin, oh well, she thought, the beginning was always as good a place as any, “...what with it being near the summer holidays, there aren't that many slayers or instructors on the camp.”

“There's not?” Buffy's face paled a little, “How many? I mean how many people have we got to defend the camp?”

“Well,” Molly swallowed the big lump in her throat, “apart from three newbies and about seven civilian staff, just us!”

“Damn it!” Buffy stamped her foot in frustration, “I knew I should have ordered those lasers sooner!”

0=0=0=0

**Outside Slayer Central.**

Lying in the long grass under a clump of trees, Clang watched the old holiday camp through a pair of binoculars. He'd just seen about half a dozen people leave the camp, probably office workers and facilities staff by the looks of them. Anyway the Chosen One wasn't amongst them. The camp now looked deserted but he knew that the Chosen One still had to be hidden in the camp along with her friends. Lowering his glasses, Clang wondered at how much trouble the sacrifice and her friends were causing him. Last night's attack on the Chosen One's home should have ended with the sacrifice lying in a pool of paint and her own blood. But somehow it had all gone wrong. He would not repeat the same mistakes again, this time he would deploy overwhelming force, he had to there was only a week until the end of the month, if the sacrifice wasn't made before June then who knew what terrible vengeance the Dark Goddess would rain down on his head. Hearing a soft footstep in the grass behind him, Clang turned to see who was there.

“Ahme!” Clang cried in surprise, “Where have you been?” The High Priestess had been missing for nearly twelve hours.

“Erm, shopping!” Ahme replied without really thinking her story through.

“Shopping?” Clang looked at her as if she was mad, “At a time like this? Goodness gracious what was so important that you had to go shopping now?”

“There was a 'fifty percent off' sale in a clothing store in Middlesbrough,” Ahme replied hastily; she'd actually been spending some 'alone' time with her two, young and attractive handmaidens...plus doing some shopping.

“Fifty percent off!?” Clang said in surprise, “I need a new suit...” Clang realised he was getting off topic here, “That is not important now and kindly leave your shopping trips to a time when we are not in danger of having our souls flayed from our persons.”

“I hear and obey,” Ahme nodded, “what is going on?”

Clang explained what he'd seen and what he'd got planned.

“I see,” Ahme said slowly as her mind raced, she had a problem.

Her sister, had been selected to be this months sacrifice, so Ahme had stolen the ring and somehow this Dawn Summers woman had bought it. There must have been something strange about the American girl because once she'd put the ring on she couldn't take it off. If Clang could get the ring off the Summers girl, he'd simply sacrifice Ahme's sister. If however, as it was beginning to look more likely, he couldn't retrieve the ring they'd simply have to sacrifice this Summers woman. Which to be honest, Ahme could live with. Up until now she'd only been concerned with keeping the Summers woman alive long enough for Clang to decide he had no option but to sacrifice her instead of her sister. The fact that the American woman couldn't take the ring off was a bonus. Counting up the days until the end of the month, Ahme smiled, as long as this Summers woman died or the end of the month arrived her sister was safe.

“This sounds like a good plan,” Ahme said after a little more thought, “and the others in the camp with her?”

“They will die as well if they get in our way,” Clang informed Ahme.

“This is good,” Ahme smiled.

0=0=0=0

“Well?” the Summers sisters asked in unison; they were sitting in Giles' office waiting for him to tell them about the ring.

“As far as I can fathom,” Giles sat down behind his desk and studied Dawn and Buffy over the tops of his steepled fingers, “this is the ring worn by the lucky follower of the Dark Mother, Kaili, when he or she is sacrificed to the goddess.”

“Sacrificed!” Dawn gulped.

“Kaili?” Buffy asked, “Where is she and when can I kick her butt?”

“Well that’s a bit of a poser,” Giles explained, “It's generally believed that all her followers were arrested and all her temples were destroyed by the forces of the Raj back in the 1880's.” Giles sighed, “Back then the British authorities used to take a dim view of people being sacrificed to gods and burning widows on their husband's funeral pyres. Nowadays I expect they'd say it was all about 'multiculturalism' and do nothing.”

“Yeah, okay you're pissed that Britain had to give India independence,” Buffy said, “but how do we get the ring off my sister's hand?”

“Ah, there you see,” Giles almost smiled, “that's what's so confusing...”

“Confusing?” Dawn said in a worried voice.

“As far as I've been able to find out,” Giles explained, “there are absolutely no records of the ring having any magical power. As far as I can ascertain the ring is a normal if slightly tacky piece of jewellery...” Giles looked directly at Dawn, “...I'm surprised at you Dawn, I thought you had better taste.”

“Now it's my fault?” Dawn whined.

“Couldn't it be something to do with Dawn's Key-ness?” Buffy asked.

“I'm not sure,” Giles shrugged, “I was under the impression that once Glory had used Dawn to open her portal, Dawn had been drained of any magical energy. I must confess I'm a little stumped.”

“Stumped?” Buffy muttered, “We're not playing cricket here Giles.”

“Indeed,” Giles agreed, “I was about to say...”

Giles never got to say what he was about to say because he was interrupted by the 'crump' of the first mortar bomb to land.

0=0=0=0

Standing behind the reception desk, Faith watched as the security cameras panned backwards and forwards across the camp, so far they'd shown nothing untoward. The three nervous trainee slayers (girls who'd only just come into their powers) sat in a row on the couch on the other side of the reception area. The Duty Slayer, Molly, was patrolling the admin block where they were hold up, making sure all the windows and doors were secure. Willow was in her office whipping up some powerful mojo to help defend the place, while Kennedy had run over to her father's Goods Depot (which had been built on the site of some of the holiday camp's old chalets); she'd gone to collect some 'weapons'. If Faith knew Kennedy's dad, 'weapons' would mean assault rifles, RPG's and body armour...Kennedy's dad was real cool.

Glancing up from the CCTV monitors, Faith saw Willow enter the room.

“How's it going, Red?” Faith asked.

“Okay,” Willow sighed, “I suppose...”

“You suppose?” Faith asked in concern, “What's up?”

“Well,” Willow replied miserable, “I don't like using magic for fighting...I mean that's what slayer's are for, right?”

“Suppose,” Faith admitted with a shrug.

“Well all this fighty magic doesn't sit well with my 'Responsible magic' campaign...”

“Hey,” Faith interjected, “you used magic when you were on the moon.”

“Yeah, well that was different,” Willow replied wondering if it really had been different or was she just being a hypocrite, “Whatever,” she sighed, “I've got some combat spells running and the Active Counter Measures are all charged up and ready to go, all we need to do is start them.”

Faith glanced down at the big red button under its plastic cover that sat in the middle of the CCTV control panel. Just as she was looking up at Willow again, Faith's spider sense warned her of imminent danger. As she was about to shout a warning, Faith heard a window break, just moments before she heard the first explosion.

0=0=0=0


	9. Chapter 9

9.

**Slayer Central, Saltburn-by-the-Sea.**

“Bloody hell!” Giles cried as he ducked beneath his desk at the sound of the first explosion.

“Ditto!” Buffy headed for the floor only nano-seconds after Giles, her hesitation was due to having to drag her sister down with her.

The two members of the Slayer Organisation and one employee of the Cleveland Ambulance Service looked at each other as more explosions shook the air and they cowered under Giles', thankfully, heavily constructed desk. After the third explosion, Buffy spoke.

“Giles,” Buffy started to crawl from under the desk, “stay here and look after Dawn...”

“I don't need anyone to look after me,” Dawn complained, “I'm not fifteen anymore!”

“Whatever,” Buffy ignored her sister, “like I was saying, Giles...”

“Don't worry,” Giles interrupted, “Dawn'll be safe enough here.”

“Good,” Buffy was now standing up and heading for the door, “I'm gonna find out what the hell's going on and then kick someone's donkey!”

With those words Buffy opened the door and went out into the corridor.

0=0=0=0

**Reception.**

Screaming, Willow headed for the floor as shrapnel punched its way through the wooden walls of the Admin Block. A flower vase broke sending cut flowers, pieces of broken glass and water everywhere.

“Everyone okay?” Willow asked nervously as she looked up from the floor just as another explosion rocked the building and made more holes in the wall.

“Okay!” Faith called from behind the reception desk, “I'm hitting the ACM's, NOW!”

Standing up heedless of the danger, Faith hit the big red button that would activate the Active Counter Measures that were the camp's last line of defence. Now, if anyone who shouldn't be there entered any of the camp's buildings they'd be attacked by their own worst nightmares. Of course none of the slayers or staff on the camp would be affected and it would only work on any bad guys who actually entered a building. But until Buffy had her mysterious lasers fitted it was the best that they could do.

“Miss Rosenberg!” cried a voice from across the lobby.

Looking up again, Willow saw the three newbie slayers huddled around a still form on the floor.

“Oh my goddess!” Willow gasped as she crawled over to the little group of frightened girls, “Molly!”

The young slayer lay on the floor with blood oozing from several wounds in her torso and legs.

“Oh crap!” Willow gasped, she looked up at one of the girls, “First aid box, NOW!”

“What's up Red?” Faith asked as she crawled across the floor just as two explosions went off in quick succession making the building sway and causing dust to fill the air.

“It's Molly she's been hit!” Willow replied as she tried to stop the worst of the bleeding, “I could really do with Dawn's help, here.”

“Okay,” Faith nodded, “I'll go...”

“Faith! Willow!” Buffy's voice rose as she ran into the lobby and saw the mess and the blood covered body of one of 'her' slayers; someone was going to pay for this, she promised.

“Molly's hurt,” Faith called quickly, “we need Dawn and we really need to stop whoever's doing this.”

“Got that,” Buffy flinched as a bomb went off a little further away from the building, “DAWN!!” Buffy yelled, “YOU'RE NEEDED!”

Moments later, Dawn and Giles joined everyone in the lobby, Buffy directed her sister to where Molly lay. Seeing the girl lying bleeding on the floor, Dawn went into action. Forgetting her own fears at someone trying to blow everyone up she went to work on the injured girl with quiet efficiency.

“Looks like its you an' me, sis,” Faith announced quietly as she squatted down next to Buffy, “we've gotta stop these bastards before they blow us to hell an' back.”

“Actually its just me,” Buffy replied with a grin, “I want you to stay here and protect everyone...” Buffy glanced at the three frightened slayers hiding behind the couch, “...those girls can't do much, they're just girls who happen to have superpowers. We can't rely on them to do anything but get themselves killed if they try to fight these people.”

“Okay,” Faith nodded her head, “I've got that...”

“Hey!” Buffy looked at her sister slayer in surprise, “I thought I'd have a harder fight than that!”

“What can I say,” Faith shrugged, “after all these years, I guess I've come to realise that ya know what ya talking about.”

“Thanks for your vote of confidence,” Buffy smiled as she started for the door, “I'll kick their asses, while you look after everyone here...”

“Luck, sis,” Faith called as Buffy rolled out of the door and another explosion rocked the house.

0=0=0=0

**Between Slayer Central and the Scapone Transport Deport.**

Making her way across the grass between her father's warehouse and truck depot towards Slayer Central, Kennedy flattened herself against the ground as the first explosion shook the air. Festooned as she was with a number of AK47's an RPG and boxes of ammunition, her landing was noisy and uncomfortable.

“Ow!” Kennedy muttered angrily as she rubbed at one or two sore points, forgetting these minor pains she looked up and through the grass.

From her vantage point, Kennedy could see as well as hear the explosions as they threw up small clouds of earth and dust. Whoever was attacking the camp were only using weapons with a small payload. Obviously they weren't out to actually destroy the school; from the size of the explosions, Kennedy guessed that the attackers were using some sort of small mortar-like weapon. Pushing herself up a little more so she could get a better view, Kennedy looked around as she tried to work out where the fire was coming from.

Looking over to her right, Kennedy saw a thin haze of grey smoke rising from a spot where she knew there was an old drainage ditch. If she was going to mortar the camp that's where she'd set up. Taking the AK's from around her body she dumped them in the grass before choosing one to fight with. Checking that the magazine was full she took the full magazines off two others, cursing herself for wearing skin tight jeans that day, she tried to push the magazines into her pockets. They wouldn't fit; reluctantly she left the spare ammunition behind as she made her way towards the old ditch.

Several loud, 'thunks!' in rapid succession made Kennedy duck down in the grass for a moment. Realising that whoever was out there had just sent several bombs towards the camp, Kennedy told herself she had to stop this before the school was blown apart. Jumping up from the grass and holding her rifle across her chest, she ran towards the source of all the noise. Sure enough, there in the old grass filled drainage ditch were about eight or nine men crouching around two small mortars.

Lifting her rifle to her shoulder, Kennedy realised that she couldn't just kill them. It was going to be hard enough explaining away why the school had been attacked in the first place. It would be doubly difficult to explain away eight or nine dead bodies. Reluctantly, Kennedy shifted her aim from the men to the side of the ditch. Firing single shots into the side of the ditch, she first grabbed the mortar-men's attention. They all turned to look at her, each with an identical look of surprise and fear on their faces. Shifting the selector to full automatic, she fired a short burst over the men's heads.

Laughing at the antics of the men as they tried to get away from her, Kennedy sent several more bursts cracking over their heads just to keep them on the move. Satisfied that these men weren't coming back, Kennedy lowered her rifle and looked towards the school. Her face dropped as she saw a thick column of smoke rising from where the admin block should be.

“Willow!” Kennedy gasped as she started to run towards the, what she'd convinced herself, smouldering ruin of the admin block; she was already regretting her choice of sparing those men's lives.

0=0=0=0

**The Admin Block.**

The first explosion blew Buffy off her feet and back through the doors into the lobby. The second bomb blew out a sizeable chunk of the lobby's wall. The third bomb crashed through the roof without exploding and destroyed most of the main conference room just down the corridor from reception. The forth bomb landed in the car park outside and did little damage to the building but drew a cry of pain and surprise from one of the new slayers.

Shielding her patient with her body, Dawn kept pressure on the worst of Molly's wounds as she attempted to staunch the bleeding. All around there was dust and smoke, she was vaguely aware of Willow crouching over one of the new girls and her sister flying through the air to crash into the wall on the other side of the room.

“B!” Faith called, once more she was down using the reception desk as cover, “Are ya okay?”

“Fine!” Buffy called as she coughed and took swipes at the dust and smoke in the air.

Crawling over to where Buffy lay against the wall, Faith checked her for wounds despite Buffy's assurances that she was okay. Just for a moment both women sat there and listened to the distinct sound of wood burning.

“Faith,” Buffy turned to face Faith, “Look I want you to get Dawn outta here...”

“But...” Faith started to tell Buffy what a bad idea that was.

“Hey,” Buffy forced a grin, “Whatever happening to me knowing what I'm doing? Now shut up and listen.”

“Wow!” Faith laughed, “Listen to B being all commandy.”

“Commandy?” Buffy frowned, “You've been living with my sister way too long...whatever, listen. They're after Dawn,” Buffy listened for a moment, “and by the sound of it they've stopped trying to blow us up so I'm guessing the guys with the red paint and sharp knives are going to show up any moment.” Buffy paused for a breath, she coughed as the dust caught in her throat, “I can deal with them as long as I know Dawn's safe and she's safest with you heading away from here, got that?”

“Yeah,” Faith nodded before adding, “under protest.”

“You really are trying to improve yourself aren't you?” Buffy gazed at her sister slayer in wonder.

“Yo,” again Faith shrugged, “I guess its time to grow-up...okay, I'll grab Dawn and get outta here, I'll call Red and let her know where we are...”

“Look after her Faith,” Buffy called as Faith crawled across the lobby towards Dawn.

“No sweat B,” Faith called back.

Climbing to her feet, Buffy ignored the angry whispered conversation that was passing between Faith and Dawn. Walking over to where the main doors used to be, Buffy couldn't help reflecting that Xander was going to be able to go somewhere really nice for his vacation with all the money he'd earn putting all the damage right again. Pushing images of Xander laughing all the way to the bank to one side, Buffy looked out into the main car park.

About thirty yards to her left a car was burning sending a thick column of smoke up into the air. Sweeping her eyes to her right, she saw several still smoking holes in the gravel of the parking lot and of course the gaping hole in the side of the hut. The sound of someone running towards her attracted Buffy's attention and she looked through the drifting smoke to see a figure running towards her. Squinting through the haze, Buffy could see that the figure was carrying something.

“Oh darn,” Buffy sighed, “freaking guns!”

Buffy cursed the object that made a normal person equal to or better than a slayer. Having been shot and nearly killed, Buffy didn't like guns, but just now she wished she had one. Looking around for some cover she happened to glance back at the figure and see the shape resolve itself into the familiar shape of Kennedy, fellow alcoholic and just at the moment the one person in all the world that Buffy most wanted to see. Kennedy's watcher had taught her all about guns and it looked like she'd been putting that knowledge to good use.

“I never thought I'd say this,” Buffy called as she stepped out into the open, “but I'm glad to see you Kennie.”

“Right,” Kennedy slid to a halt in front of Buffy, “everyone okay? Willow?”

“Everyone's fine except the people who aren't,” Buffy looked for any sign of anyone following Kennedy.

“If you're looking for bad guys coming after me,” a murderous smile spread across Kennedy's face, “they won't be.”

“You didn't...” Buffy was just about to check that Kennedy hadn't killed everyone, but the younger woman shook her head.

“I didn't kill any of them,” Kennedy looked at all the damage caused by the attack, “but I'm beginning to wish I had.”

“Yeah,” Buffy sighed sadly before turning back to the ruined admin hut, “we better get everyone out and phone the police, fire and ambulance.”

“Dawn?” Kennedy asked.

“Faith got her out of here,” Buffy replied adding, “I hope.”

0=0=0=0

“Come on kid,” Faith dragged Dawn down a corridor and away from what was rapidly turning into a charnel house in the reception.

“Faith!” Dawn struggled ineffectually against Faith's grip, “I've got to go back...the wounded need me!”

“Red'll manage 'til the police an' ambulances arrive,” Faith explain, “but if ya don't get away you'll never be able to help anyone again.”

The cold realisation that what Faith was saying was true stunned Dawn into silence for a moment, but only for a moment.

“Okay,” Dawn admitted, “but you don't have to drag me...I've had loads of practice at running away.”

“Cool,” Faith let go of Dawn's wrist, stopped, turned around to face her and then kissed her full on the lips, “Love ya Dawnie!”

“And this is not a good time to show that,” Dawn replied, “but its nice to know.”

“Okay,” Faith brought them to a halt next to a fire exit, “we go through this door an' we should be in the back parking lot where we left the car, you still got ya keys?” Dawn nodded, “Okay, when we get outside you run for the car, don't stop for anything...” and evil grin came to Faith's lips, “...get in the passenger side, I'll drive.”

“Oh nooo...” Dawn moaned.

0=0=0=0Outside the Admin Block.

Hiding behind some dumpsters, Clang looked around at the two men with him, the attack hadn't been quite as effective as he'd hoped. Now it appeared he only had these two followers left to finish the task. Shrugging, he resigned himself to following the dark goddess to the bitter end. Just as he'd almost admitted defeat, a fire door burst open not fifty yards away from him. Looking up in surprise he saw the Chosen One and her friend burst from the door and run towards the only parked car in sight.

Sending heart felt praises to the goddess for giving him this last chance of redeeming himself in her eyes. He ordered the two men with him to prepare their weapons. Taking the disposable rocket launcher off his shoulder one of the men prepared it for firing as the other covered the two women with his pistol.

“Hurry, hurry,” Clang encouraged the man with the rocket launcher to move faster.

Already the two women had reached the car and were climbing in, any moment now the engine would start and they'd drive away and out of his reach. Glancing at the man with the launcher, Clang breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the man with the weapon on his shoulder.

“Fire when ready!” Clang ordered as the car shot across the car park, gravel flying from its wheels.

With a great 'whoosh' the rocket leapt from the launcher and sped towards the car. Just as it hit, the driver must have tried to take evasive action, but she was too late. The rocket hit, its warhead easily defeated the metal of the car's body work and exploded with an ear numbing 'BANG!'. The car swerved into the ditch next to the road and started to burn fiercely. Jumping for joy the two followers celebrated another successful sacrifice to the Dark Goddess, as Clang sent his heart felt thanks to the goddess.

0=0=0=0

Sensing something coming towards them from her left, Faith swerved and drove the car into the roadside ditch, grabbing hold of Dawn, she opened her door and rolled out onto the grass just as the rocket hit and blew up their car.

“Fuck!” Faith cried as she lay on top of Dawn and watched their car go up in flames, “That's gonna be difficult to explain on the insurance claim!”

“What?” Dawn crawled out from under Faith.

“Come on Dawnie we gotta move,” Faith climbed to her feet pulling Dawn up behind her, using the smoke from the wreaked car as cover they made off across the field towards the path that led down to the beach.

“Where are we going?” Dawn called as she followed Faith through the long grass.

“I don't know,” Faith called back, “but there's gotta be somewhere safe on this damn island!”

0=0=0=0


	10. Chapter 10

10.

**Butlitz Holiday Camp, Filey, Yorkshire.**

Staring in horrified fascination, Dawn watched as the volcano erupted for the third time in an hour...it was just so tacky! The volcano was the centre piece of a large diorama built into the wall of the Hawaiian Bar and Ballroom. Lights flashed to give the impression of lava running down the sides of the mountain while little puffs of grey smoke came from the top of the model. Each performance lasted two or three minutes after which the volcano went dormant for a quarter of an hour or so. Nodding her thanks to the waitress, who was dressed in a grass skirt and flowered bikini top and with plastic flowers in her hair, Dawn picked up her fruit cocktail drink and sipped it through a straw. The bar might be tacky but at least the drinks were refreshing because, man, did she need some refreshing.

After having their car blown up and narrowly cheating death, Dawn and Faith had escaped through the camp and down onto the beach. Making their way along the beach they'd headed back to Saltburn-by-the-Sea where they'd gone straight to the bus station. Here they'd got on the first bus out of town which happened to be the bus taking holiday makers to the Butlitz holiday camp at Filey which was about forty miles south along the coast.

Arriving at the holiday camp, Faith had managed to convince the booking clerk at reception that Dawn and herself had lost all their luggage when they'd been involved in a traffic accident. The clerk had listened sympathetically to Faith as she'd explained how her girlfriend needed to get away from things for a few days and what better place to get away from all your worries than at a Butlitz holiday camp? The clerk had agreed and booked them into a double chalet looking out over the North Sea, she also explained that Faith could buy some necessities from the camp shop to tide them over until they could get into Filey or up to Scarborough the next day.

The chalet turned out to be nicer than either young woman had expected and the view out over the sea had a calming effect on them both. The plan was simple, they'd hideout at the holiday camp losing themselves in the crowds of happy holidaymakers until such time as the danger had passed. Taking Dawn to the Hawaiian Bar and Ballroom, Faith had left her there telling her she was going to find a land-line (Faith suspected someone might be tracking their mobiles) and call Willow to tell her where they were.

Sitting in the Bar and Ballroom, Dawn watched the door nervously, although she'd not noticed any paint or knife wielding assassins it didn't hurt to keep a weather eye open, just in case. The camp itself radiated an air of gentle dilapidation, like whoever owned the place knew it was going to close down soon and couldn't be bothered to do more than temporary repairs. Despite this, or maybe because of this, everybody (apart from herself and Faith) seemed to be having well organised and healthy 'fun'.

At the moment there were about a dozen people in the bar with her, five of these people were children of various ages. The bar was also a restaurant so it was okay to bring children in, several people were eating, which reminded Dawn that she'd not eaten since she'd had a rather rushed breakfast at Slayer Central that morning. Checking she still had her wallet, Dawn made sure she had her credit cards, at least she'd be able to eat once Faith got back. The rest of the people in the bar were adults of various ages who chatted and laughed amongst themselves as the drank from pints of beer or from fruit heavy cocktails like her own.

Glancing back towards the door, Dawn saw a figure she didn't at first recognise, but all the same held a certain familiarity for her. Faith was almost standing next to her before she recognised her girlfriend.

“Faith!” Dawn giggled into her hand, “what are you wearing?” this time Dawn guffawed in a most unladylike manner, “That is _so_ not you!”

Faith was in fact wearing a very, one might say, eyewateringly bright, Hawaiian shirt with matching shorts that went down to just above her knees. Finishing off this elegant ensemble were a pair of blue flip-flop sandals and a plastic flower in her hair behind her right ear.

“Don't laugh,” Faith warned Dawn quietly as she sat down, “I bought a set just like it for you, its waiting back at the chalet...”

“No way!” Dawn giggled, still unable to get over Faith's mode of dress, “No way am I wearing something like that.”

“Yes you are,” Faith replied with quiet determination, “we need to blend in and...” Faith gestured to the fifty percent of people in the bar/restaurant who were wearing something similar, “...if I can dress up like a technocoloured yawn so can you.”

“Eww Faith,” Dawn still couldn't quite stop herself from giggling, “sometimes I truly wonder what I ever saw in you.”

“As I remember it was the hotness that is me,” Faith smirked, “and the monster that was about to fry ya!”

“That and the mind numbing terror,” Dawn shivered at the memory of how Faith and herself had first become a couple; she edged along the bench seat and snuggled up to Faith taking her hand in her own, “not that I regret it for one moment,” Dawn assured Faith, “so, did you call home?”

“Yeah,” Faith felt really comfortable with Dawn sitting beside her moulding their bodies together, “I called Red but got Kennie...”

“And?” Dawn prompted.

“Molly and one of the trainees needed to go to hospital, otherwise everyone else is safe and unhurt,” Faith explained, “B and Giles are having to deal with the fallout, the cops want to know why someone would wanna blow up a girl's adventure training school...”

“And the reason is?” Dawn asked raising an eyebrow.

“B's goin' with Muslim extremists,” Faith shrugged.

“Yeah, right, like the cops are going to swallow that,” Dawn said with heavy sarcasm, “Islam being a religion of peace an' all.”

“Whatever,” Faith shrugged, she'd never really got the entire 'sarcasm thing', “Red's still trying to get a handle on who these Kaili people are an' Kennie's been left to secure the camp...looks like we're on our own for a day or two.”

“That's cool,” Dawn felt safe and secure now, not only had she got Faith right next to her but they were hidden in the crowds of holidaymakers, no one would think of looking for them in a holiday camp, plus the bad guys probably thought they were dead. “So, y'think we're safe?”

“For awhile...” Faith was going to say more but she was interrupted by the camp's PA system.

“Hi-de-hi campers!” came a slightly Welsh sounding female voice that crackled from the loud speakers.

“HO-DE-HO!” replied the 'campers', leaving Faith and Dawn speechless, they'd never seen British people act like this before.

“Well,” continued the disembodied voice, “its fun for everybody tonight in the Hawaiian Ballroom, with a Tarts and Vicars fancy dress party...”

The announcer's voice was drowned out for a moment by a loud cheer from all the 'campers' in the bar.

“...costumes are available from the camp shop for a reasonable fee,” the announcer paused for just a moment before adding, “There will be a prize of a free, candle lit, fish supper for two in the Seaview Fish Bar and Grill for anyone who is able to spot the real Vicar...” the announcer signed off with a cheery, “...Hi-de-hi!”

“HO-DE-HO!” replied the campers once again.

“So that's where it comes from!” Dawn sniggered.

“W-what?” Faith was still a little stunned as to why people would want to dress up as a vicar or indeed a tart, whatever they might be.

“You musta noticed how each new batch of girls at the school starts that 'Hi-de-hi' thing?” Dawn asked.

It was true, within a day or so of a new batch of trainee slayers starting at the school, they all began to shout this Hi-de-hi/Ho-de-ho greeting and reply. Buffy had never worked out what it meant but after a little initial resistance she'd sort of gone with the flow. After all it appeared to make the girls happy and it helped form a bond between the trainees who often came from different countries and cultures. It also seemed to have grown into a sort of 'secret handshake' helping slayers in the field identify themselves to one another.

“Yeah sure,” Faith nodded her head uncertainly.

“Well this is were it must come from,” Dawn pointed out, “So,” Dawn grinned as she changed the subject, “What do you want to be, a Vicar or a Tart?”

0=0=0=0

**The Majestic Hotel, Scarborough.**

“Shocking!” Clang turned away from the hotel window that looked out over Scarborough's seafront, “Something must be done! Bhuta!”

“Here Master,” Bhuta sidled up to the high priest.

“Summon the congregation,” Clang ordered before adding, “Most shocking!”

“How did they escape?” Ahme wanted to know, if this Dawn girl wasn't sacrificed soon her own sister would still be in danger of a meeting with a shape knife and a pot of red paint, she turned to look a Clang, “Did you not say that their car was destroyed and that no one could have survived.”

“I did,” Clang nodded; the high priest didn't know what was happening, why should the Dark Goddess lead him to the Chosen One only to let her slip from the fingers of her devoted followers? “The Goddess must be testing us,” Clang explained, the old heavenly test excuse when things went wrong was always a good standby, “She is testing our faith in her.”

“Indeed,” Ahme nodded as she eyed the High Priest suspiciously, “So, has the Goddess gifted you with any notion of where the Chosen One is?”

“No, not yet,” Clang shook his head, “but I am sure she will...I will meditate on this.”

0=0=0=0

**The 'Saucy Sue', one mile off the coast near Filey.**

Watching the holiday camp through his German binoculars, Doctor Zimmerman smiled to himself. So they thought they could hide in a holiday camp, did they? Well, he had news for them! While he'd distracted the women when he and Algernon had raided Dawn Summers' house, Algernon had managed to put a Japanese tracking device into Dawn's mobile phone. The actual course of events at Dawn and Faith's house had been subtly altered in Zimmerman's mind to make the entire fiasco seem more 'heroic' and successful than it had actually been.

Now they had tracked the two women to this old, rundown holiday camp on the North Sea coast. All they would needed to do was to go ashore tonight, find the chalet that the two women were staying, before overpowering them and removing the ring and finger from the girl's hand...easy! Laughing evilly, Zimmerman imagined what the ring would give him; power, riches...dare he say it? Yes he dare...World Domination!

“MAW-HA-HA!” He laughed, his voice echoing across the sea towards the camp, “ALGERNON!” he cried wickedly, “Prepare the dingy! MAW-HA-HA!”

0=0=0=0

**Butlitz Camp, Dawn and Faith's chalet.**

“Hey Faith!” Dawn called from the shower.

“What?” Faith was out in the main part of the chalet preparing to take their smoke soiled clothes to the laundrette at the end of the row of chalets.

“I swear I just heard maniacal laughter,” Dawn explained.

“What?” Faith stuck her head through the shower curtain and was rewarded with a little water in her eyes, however it wasn't enough to put her off appreciating the hotness that was a naked and wet, Dawn Summers.

“Y'know,” Dawn pretended to ignore her girlfriend as she ran the soap seductively over her body, “like you get when the Evil Overlord explains his plan for world domination.”

“Didn't hear a thing,” Faith withdrew her head from the curtain and put a firm hold on her desires, “Look,” Faith got back to more practical things, “I couldn't buy any underwear at the shop so I got us some bikinis instead...”

“Cool,” Dawn replied as she switched off the shower and stepped out into the little bathroom and into Faith's view again, she took her time wrapping a towel around herself, “You gonna go get us some costumes for tonight?”

“Ya wanna go?” Faith asked as she tried to prevent herself from going over to Dawn and pulling her towel off before making love to her right there on the bathroom floor.

“Sure,” Dawn ran a comb through her long, wet hair, “Dibs on the Tart's costume...”

“No way am I being the Vicar,” Faith replied; earlier Dawn had explained what a Tarts and Vicars party was to her.

“No reason why you can't be a tart too,” Dawn smiled coyly at Faith.

“Suppose,” Faith shrugged as she dragged herself away from the desirable body of Dawn, she headed back to where she'd left the laundry.

“Frightened it'll ruin your hard edged, slayer image?” Dawn asked with a laugh.

“Maybe,” Faith admitted quietly; the truth was that a tart was another name for a prostitute which was what her mother had been, Faith didn't want to be seen like that.

“Oh come on Faith,” Dawn stepped out of the bathroom and looked pleadingly at her girlfriend, “its like that Halloween thing, y'know, 'come as you aren't'?”

“Yeah, whatever,” Faith headed towards the door and the laundrette, “I'll think about it.”

Watching Faith go out the door, Dawn kicked herself for being insensitive, she knew Faith had issues with her past and her mother in particular. 

“At least I didn't ask her to dress up as a murderer,” Dawn told herself before going back into the bathroom, she'd make it up to Faith as soon as she got back from washing their clothes.

0=0=0=0


	11. Chapter 11

11.

**The Coast near Butlitz Holiday Camp, Filey.**

It was nearly eleven-thirty as Dawn and Faith walked arm in arm along the beach near the holiday camp. They were both dressed as 'tarts' having attended the Tarts and Vicars party in the Hawaiian Ballroom earlier in the evening. They'd even won the prize for spotting the real vicar amongst all the fakes. After having their free fish and chip supper at the Seaview Fish Bar and Grill, they'd decided to take a walk before heading back to their chalet and bed.

“My hands smell of fish and chips,” Dawn announced as they walked along the beach.

“Same here,” Faith admitted after sniffing her own fingers; it was traditional (or so they'd been informed) to eat fish and chips with your fingers.

“It's nice here,” Dawn changed the subject as she pulled Faith closer, “the sand, the sea and that holiday camp place is nicer than I thought it was going to be.”

“Yeah,” Faith shrugged, “it is now but you wait for winter. We're only forty or fifty miles south of Slayer Central,” Faith pointed out, “winters here are gonna be just as crappy.”

Both young women sighed; generally they both liked living in England but they both hated the winters. For a start they seemed to go on for so long. The winters weren't that cold, at least Faith remembered winters in Boston as being very much colder; it was just that the winters here were wet and miserable. The cold and damp particularly affected Dawn, before coming to England the only weather she'd experienced was Californian and it hadn't prepared her for the rigours of a northern English climate.

“Come on,” Faith stopped and kissed Dawn slowly on the mouth, “lets get back to the chalet an' go to bed.”

“Bed?” Dawn rested her head on Faith's shoulder so she was looking out at the sea behind her girlfriend, “Now that sounds like one of you best ideas ever...hey did you hear something?”

“What...?” Faith turned to face the sea while not letting go of Dawn's waist, “Hey! Yeah!”

Looking out to sea with her slayer enhanced night vision, Faith had clearly seen the inflatable motor boat as it moved towards the beach. The sound of its idling engine came to her ears now she was listening for it, as the crew let the tide bring the boat towards the shore.

“I wonder what they want?” Dawn asked as she held on tightly to Faith's arm, just as a shot rang out and cracked above their heads.

“YOU!” Faith cried as she started to drag Dawn towards the dunes that separated the beach from the holiday camp.

“AAAGH!” Dawn screamed, “How the hell did they find us?”

“Don’t know!,” Faith, glanced over her shoulder to see the mad scientist, Zimmerman, and his assistant, Algernon bring the craft to shore.

“In the name of science,” Zimmerman's voice drifted faintly across the beach, “I demand that you hand over that ring!”

Another shot rang out and a little fountain of sand jumped from the dune six feet to Dawn's left.

“Hey!” Damn complained as Faith threw her into the cover of a sand dune. “That's like no way of getting someone to give you their ring!”

Lying down in the sand, Faith listened as more shots rang out and bullets flew all over the beach.

“It's alright, Dawnie,” Faith whispered, “he's shootin' blind he's no idea where we are.”

“Good,” Dawn sulked, “Faith?”

“What?”

“Next time I wanna buy a big, flashy ring,” Dawn pouted, “chain me up in the cellar or something.”

“We ain't gotta cellar,” Faith peeped over the dune to see Zimmerman trying to reload his revolver, “an' so far we've no chains either.”

“You could borrow some off Willow and Kennie,” Dawn suggested, “but you know what I mean right?”

“Look,” Faith hunkered down behind the dune, “no one's to blame for anything other than these assholes who wanna get that ring off you or stick knives in ya, okay?”

“Okay...” Dawn moved closer to Faith and kissed her on the lips again, “...I understand that, but...” she gave Faith an impish grin, “...I still want to try out the chains, y'know?”

“Man,” Faith sighed, “you are such a slut!”

“I can't help it,” Dawn giggled quietly, “it's all the danger and the fear and the really sexy...”

“I say girlies!” the voice came from the top of the dune behind Dawn and Faith.

“W-what?” Faith turned quickly and saw the shape of a figure roll over the top of the dune before working its way over to them, it was the woman in green from the street outside their house and at the Indian restaurant.

“Quick, come with me,” Ahme whispered urgently, “I will take you to a place of safety.”

“Why?” Dawn wanted to know; too much had happened in the last few days for her to accept offers of help from people she didn't know.

“Look,” Ahme went on in a low, urgent whisper, “my sister was chosen as the sacrifice so I stole the ring and sold it. Without the ring she could not be sacrificed,” Ahme looked at Dawn guiltily, “you were never supposed to find the ring, you were never supposed to be sacrificed...”

“Then why can't I get the damn thing off?” Dawn demanded.

“I do not know,” Ahme shrugged, “maybe its magic?”

“You said something about somewhere safe?” Faith asked, she'd been watching Zimmerman between keeping an eye on the mysterious woman and listening to her story.

“Yes, yes,” Ahme replied finding it hard to contain her joy at having found the girl and the ring; it had been hard and it had taken her strongest magics to find the Chosen One and the ring. “Come with me, it is close!”

“What ya think?” Faith asked Dawn.

“Why not?” Dawn shrugged, “It's probably better than being stuck out here and being chased by a mad scientist.”

“Okay,” Faith turned towards the mysterious woman, “you lead the way, but if you make any false moves I'll rip ya head off an' crap down ya neck, okay?”

“Yes,” Ahme nodded, “whatever you like, but follow me!”

0=0=0=0

Moving quickly and keeping the dunes between themselves and the beach where Zimmerman was still looking for them, the three women moved south and passed the holiday camp. Here the dunes petered out and gave way to a low cliff. Following a path in the darkness they came to the top of the cliff and made their way inland. Just as Dawn was thinking that she'd never get any rest that night, Ahme pointed to a large derelict barn.

“There,” she called softly, “you will be safe in the barn.”

Following the mysterious woman, Dawn and Faith walked over to the barn and stumbled inside. At first not even Faith could see anything it was so dark and going from the relatively bright, star lit night to the utter darkness of the barn. But then Ahme switched on the lights, Faith had to blink the tears from her eyes. It only took her moments to recover before she could see again, she gasped as her eyes took in the scene before her.

“What the hell...?” Faith turned towards Ahme and raised a fist ready to beat the woman to a bloody pulp.

“You are quite safe here,” Ahme explained as she gestured to the temple inside the barn, “no one will think of looking for you here...do you like?” Ahme smiled at the puzzled looks on Dawn and Faith's faces, “Clang had it all transported here from Middlesbrough.”

Looking around, Dawn saw what looked like the inside of a temple. There at the far end was a great statue of and eight armed female goddess. In each hand of her eight arms the goddess held some sort of weapon, her mouth, which was open in a snarl, was crowded with shape looking teeth and her cold, malignant eyes seemed to bore into her very soul.

“Wow!” Dawn said softly as she moved slightly closer to Faith; her eyes caught sight of something big and round in the middle of the open area in front of the statue, “What's this?” Dawn asked as she left Faith's side to examine the stone.

“That is the sacrificial table, where you will be slaughtered,” Ahme went on matter-of-factly as she pulled an automatic pistol from under her coat.

“WHAT!” Dawn squeaked as men with tins of red paint and sharp looking swords and knives appeared inside the temporary temple.

Not waiting for any explanations, Faith acted with mind numbing violence. Kicking the gun from Ahme's hand she followed up with a punch that sent the woman flying across the barn until she hit the wall and fell to the floor.

“RUN!” Faith ordered as she turned to face the men with swords and paint.

Sprinting towards the big, barn doors, Dawn was aware of men yelling and shouting orders as they closed in around her. At every step she expected to feel red paint splatter over her body followed by swords and knives as the cut into her flesh. Running past where Faith stood at bay, Dawn saw the half open door in front of her, for a wonder there didn't seem to be anyone between her and it. Moving cautiously towards the door as Faith held back the goddess' worshippers; Dawn had no wish to blunder through the door right into the hands of more of the goddess' followers.

Peeping around the door she saw there were no sword and paint wielding fanatics lying in wait for her. With a sigh of relief, Dawn stepped out into the night only to have a blanket thrown over her head and for strong arms to be wrapped around her body. Screaming, Dawn struggled to free herself, but a rope was put around her body and tightened so she couldn't move her arms while her kidnappers could use theirs. Kicking out at whoever had grabbed her, Dawn felt herself being dragged across the old deserted farm yard. Abruptly, she felt herself being lifted off her feet before being dumped into some sort of container, it was only as she heard the car boot's lid being slammed that she realised she'd been put into the trunk of a car!”

0=0=0=00=0=0=0

Lying in the trunk of the car, Dawn stamped down hard on the feeling of panic that threatened to engulf her. She'd never survive if she surrendered to panic and fear, she'd always survived previous kidnapping, mainly because people like her sister and Faith had been there to rescue her. The image of Faith that sprung to her mind made her relax a little. Faith would find her and rescue her in the nick of time. Dawn felt her nipples going hard at the mere thought of what Faith and herself would be doing once she was free...and yes ice cream could be involved and maybe even whipped cream!

Shaking her head to clear it of these visions, Dawn tried to relax and remember all those escape techniques her sister had tried to teach her. Things like tensing all your muscles so that when people tied you up and you relaxed afterwards the ropes would come loose. Unfortunately this little trick only worked if you were expecting to be tied up. In one way Dawn always expected to be tied up each and every day, but unfortunately when it actually happened it always came as a big surprise. Anyway, for what ever reason, Dawn found she couldn't free herself from the ropes that bound her.

Lying on the floor of the boot, Dawn let out a sigh of resignation and tried to calm herself; Faith or Buffy would find her and everything would be fine. Her heart leaped into her mouth again, however, as the car slid to a halt. There was the sound of doors being opened and closed followed by the lid of the trunk being opened. Feeling hands grab hold of her ankles and shoulders, Dawn felt herself being lifted up and carried. Hearing a muffled, whispered conversation through the blanket, she recognised Dr Zimmerman and his assistant Algernon. In a way Dawn felt relieved, these two were only interested in the ring and were not motivated by religion so they probably wouldn't kill her. They would however cut her finger off to get at the ring, but that was better than being sacrificed to an evil god who was probably only a demon with delusions of grandeur.

Groaning as she was dumped into what she thought might be a boat, Dawn had her suspicions confirmed when she heard an outboard motor cough into life and felt the vessel move under her as it headed out to sea.

0=0=0=0

Standing on the top of the cliff, Faith saw and heard the little motor boat head out to sea. Somehow she knew that Dawn was aboard the craft. There was no way she could rescue Dawn by herself and she admitted to herself that she needed help. Pulling her mobile phone from the front of her Tarts costume, Faith hit Buffy's number. Putting the phone to her ear, she waited for Buffy to answer; she needed as much help as she could get and she wasn't going to be shy about asking for it, some things were more important than pride.

0=0=0=0


	12. Chapter 12

12.

**The 'Saucy Sue', one mile off the coast near Filey.**

After being drugged and spending a most uncomfortable night in a small closet, Dawn found herself strapped to a metal operating table on the deck of a yacht. Not only had she been strapped to a table, someone had also taken her Tarts costume off her and she was now dressed only in her bikini briefs. The leather straps that held her down were tight against her skin, the cold early morning, North Sea air made her nipples stand up stiffly. There was also the mind numbing terror at not knowing what was going to happen to her. It all went towards making her feel inappropriately sexually excited.

Moving her head at the sound of a hatch opening, Dawn saw a man in a surgeon's mask and gown climb out on deck, followed almost immediately by another shorter balding man in a white labcoat. Recognising Dr Zimmerman and his assistant, Algernon, Dawn sighed a sigh of relief. Zimmerman was unlikely to sacrifice her to some freakish hell god, he only wanted to cut her finger off so he could get the ring.

“Don't worry,” Zimmerman washed his hands in a bucket of sea water after examining Dawn's ring finger, “I'm a perfect surgeon.”

“Oh, he was asked to take it up, you know?” Algernon explained cheerfully.

“Scalpel!” Zimmerman cried as he positioned himself next to the operating table.

Searching a tray of surgical instruments, Algernon eventually handed Zimmerman a scalpel. Looking at the knife, Zimmerman frowned in annoyance and shook his head in disgust.

“Not sharp enough,” he muttered as he pulled what looked like an electric knife sharpener from under the trolley that held his tray of instruments; Dawn's suspicions were confirmed when Zimmerman tried to use the machine to sharpen his scalpel. However, on pressing the 'on' button nothing happened.

“Sand in the generator,” Zimmerman sighed in disappointment, “it gets everywhere. No wonder I never get anything done....fix it Algernon!”

Algernon, who'd been standing next to Dawn and staring at her breasts abruptly burst in to life and headed for the hatch that led down into the hull of the yacht.

“You wouldn't want me to go in with a blunt scalpel would you?” Zimmerman asked Dawn before yelling at his assistant again, “FIX IT!”

“Y-you don't have to do this,” Dawn whimpered, it looked like she was going to end the day with one less digit than she'd started it with.

“I'm a decent employer,” Zimmerman muttered ignoring Dawn, “but sometimes he takes advantage of my good nature...it's the heat you know, it makes him stroppy...”

“The heat?” raising her head slightly Dawn looked down at her chilled nipples.

After a few moments, when the electricity still hadn't come back on, Zimmerman followed Algernon down into the bowels of the yacht. Zimmerman was only gone a few seconds when a figure in a black wet suit appeared in Dawn's field of vision and quickly went over to the hatch and slammed it shut before locking it securely. An instant later the figure was standing over Dawn looking down at her, it was Ahme.

“I have come to rescue you,” Ahme announced as she started to unstrap Dawn from the table.

“Yeah,” Dawn managed to pull one arm free from the loosened straps, “you're only rescuing me so you can paint me red and kill me!”

“Not _kill_ ,” Ahme corrected, “sacrifice...much more worthwhile.”

“Worthwhile?” Dawn cried in disbelief.

“Which would you rather have happen?” Ahme was unstrapping Dawn's feet now, “Would you rather be sacrificed to the Dark Goddess Kaili or have you finger hacked off by some insane scientist?”

“Neither!” free of the straps Dawn felt less excited and more annoyed; she swung her legs over the side of the table and sat up, crossing her arms over her breasts she glared angrily at Ahme. “I wanna go home and snuggle with my girlfriend without having to worry about people wanting to kill me or perform unnecessary surgery on me!”

“Very soon,” Ahme pulled Dawn to her feet, “you won't have to worry about any of that.”

“Hands up!” Zimmerman appeared like a jack in the box from another hatch, he pointed his revolver at Dawn and Ahme.

“SWAP!” Cried Ahme holding up a small plastic container containing some brightly coloured fluid.

“What's that?” Zimmerman demanded as he made his way along the deck closely followed by Algernon.

“It is distilled from the essence of certain orchids...” Ahme began but was interrupted by Zimmerman.

“Not distilled from the essence of certain orchids found only in the most remote recesses of the Amazon jungle?” Zimmerman demanded.

“It is,” Ahme confirmed.

“At last!” Zimmerman cried losing all interest in Dawn and her ring, “I'll have my just reward, give it to me and take the girl,” Zimmerman demanded, “Soon it'll be Sir Tiberius Zimmerman!”

“But the ring...” Dawn asked uncertainly.

“The ring?” Zimmerman scoffed, “Who needs a mere ring, now I have this,” Zimmerman almost laughed insanely as he held the container of orchid juice up to the light; he turned to his assistant and handed him his revolver, “Do you know what this is?”

“It's a .38 calibre Webley revolver,” Algernon replied looking at the weapon he'd just had thrust into his hands.

“No!” Zimmerman walked away from Dawn and Ahme who he'd completely dismissed from his mind, “This is Nobel Prize juice,” this time he did laugh insanely, “MAW-HA-HA! Set sail for home, for England, jewel set in a silver sea...the government in the palm of my hand!”

Now Zimmerman and his assistant were completely distracted, Dawn looked around for a weapon. Seeing a wrench lying on the deck, she bent to pick it up. Wrench in hand she stood and was just about to bring it crashing down on Ahme's head when strong rubber clad arms grabbed her from behind and a hand containing a cloth pad was put over her mouth and nose.

“HMMMPH!!” Dawn cried as the chloroform took effect and she passed out.

0=0=0=0

**Near Butlitz Holiday Camp at more or less the same time.**

“There's Faith!” Giles cried in relief as he saw the figure step out of the roadside hedge; he pulled the minibus over to the side of the road, “Open the door someone.”

Having received Faith's call for help, Giles, Buffy, Willow and Kennedy had climbed aboard the Slayer school's minibus and driven south along the coast until they neared Butlitz Camp.

“Where's Dawn?” Buffy demanded as Faith climbed aboard the bus, “What's happening?”

Sitting down on one of the bus's seats, Faith gratefully accepted a cup of hot coffee from Willow. Sipping the coffee, Faith eyed Buffy for a moment as she ordered her thoughts. After taking a deep breath, she explained what had happened since they'd escaped from Saltburn-by-the-Sea.

“That explains the outfit,” Willow ran her eyes over Faith's Tarts outfit.

“Do you know where Dawn is now?” Buffy wanted to know; it was obvious from the look on Buffy's face that she was regretting ever allowing Dawn to step from the dungeon which was the only place her little sister would ever be safe.

“When I lost Dawn,” Faith explained, “I went back an' followed these Kaili guys. After picking up their dead an' wounded,” she grinned, “they moved their temple thing down to the beach, I think that's where they're going to try and sacrifice Dawn.”

“Like hell they will!” Buffy snarled, “Faith do you know the way?”

“Sure,” Faith smiled, it was pay back time.

“Right,” Buffy saw it was time for her to take charge, “Faith you give Giles directions, Willow get your mojo on just in case this Kaili bitch makes an appearance...Kennedy...hand me something sharp.”

“Buffy,” Willow tried to be the voice of reason, “remember, these are humans and we don't kill humans...”

“Unless it can't be avoided...” chorused the three slayers in the minibus.

“The regulation was changed, Red, its more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule nowadays,” Faith explained as she accepted an assault rifle and bayonet off Kennedy, she smiled at the younger slayer as she hefted the AK in her hand, “Your Dad is just so cool!”

“Well next time Willow and I go to visit, you and Dawn should come along he's dying to see you both again...” Kennedy noticed the look Buffy was giving her, “...and you Buffy.”

Taking a rifle and bayonet from Kennedy, Buffy scowled slightly as she checked the weapon over and fitted a full magazine.

“I've got to say I agree with Willow,” Giles pointed out as he guided the bus down the narrow country lanes, “We do seem to be reaching for the gun more than we used to these days.”

“Giles, we need to change with the times,” Buffy explained softly, “you know how much I hate guns but sometimes...” she paused for just a moment as Giles negotiated a tight bend in the road, “...I mean how would it look if we turned up with swords and they had guns?”

“Hmm, yes I suppose...” Giles replied quietly.

“And now that Willow wants to start a family she won't be using the magics so much,” Buffy pointed out, “it might be bad for the baby...”

“FAMILY!?” Giles brought the bus to a screeching halt, “BABY!?” he cried loudly, “When did this happen?”

“Well it hasn't,” Willow blushed, “not yet...”

“Hey guys,” Faith interjected, “could we leave this 'til after we rescue Dawn?”

“Yeah, right,” Buffy nodded, “post Dawn rescue-age baby discussion, right guys?”

“Right!” everyone but Giles agreed.

0=0=0=0

**The Beach near Butlitz Holiday Camp.**

The sun warmed Dawn's nipples and stopped them from standing up so stiffly as it shone down on the beach. The Kaili followers had moved the great statue of their goddess down on to the shore where Dawn was now lying spread eagled on the beach, her wrists and ankles tied securely to metal stakes driven deeply into the sand. After only a short rest bite, Dawn's nipples started to grow hard again as more inappropriate sexual thoughts entered her mind. Damn, she thought, here I am about to have my heart ripped from my still living body and I'm getting turned on!

“Treacherous woman, tremble,” Clang sneered as he looked down at Dawn, he was now dressed in his ceremonial robes and carried his ornate mask under his arm.

Turning away from Dawn he placed his mask on his head before turning to face the statue of Kaili and raising his hands to the goddess in supplication.

“In the name of Preverti,” intoned the priest in a monotone voice, “daughter of the mountains, whose embrace with Rani made the whole world tremble.”

“You wait 'til my sister and girlfriend get here,” Dawn cried out, “then you'll be sorry!”

“I don't think so,” Clang replied calmly, “I had fifty of our most loyal followers bussed down here, they will be quite merciless when they ambush your sister and your friends. One word of warning from you and you die instantly.” 

“That's hardly much of a threat seeing as you're going to kill me anyway,” Dawn pointed out, “to be honest from where I'm lying I've not got much to lose.”

Clang dismissed Dawn's observations with a curt 'Ha!' before continuing with his chanting.

“Whose name is the Terrible,” he went on, “Whose name is Baleful. Whose name is Inaccessible. Whose name is the Black Mother, mother of darkness.”

Struggling against her bonds, Dawn suddenly found one of her wrists was starting to come free. Twisting her arm she managed to pull her wrist from the rope that held her arm to the stake. As she reached over to untie her other wrist, Dawn saw a lot of men clutching guns and swords as the crouched in hastily dug foxholes along the beach. As if at some signal the men started to point and jabber at something further along the sand. Turning her head, Dawn saw Faith, Buffy and what looked like Giles, Willow and Kennedy jogging along the beach towards her.

“ **BUFFY!** ” Dawn yelled as loudly as she could, “LOOK OUT, IT'S A TRAP!!!”

Within moments of her shouted warning the followers of Kaili started to shoot as the slayer forces dived for cover and began to return fire with deadly slayer accuracy. The followers of Kaili started to take casualties as men threw up their hands or slumped down into their foxholes as slayer bullets found their targets. Now with both of her hands free, Dawn quickly untied her feet and stood up

“We turn our hearts to Kaili,” Clang intoned seemingly unaware of the battle raging behind him.

“NO!” Dawn cried flinging her arms wide; unexpectedly the ring flew off her finger and landed in the sand a few feet away.

“Drinker of blood, Black Mother...” Clang continued oblivious to the fact that his sacrifice was now free.

“It's off!” Dawn cried with joy as bullets whizzed past her ears or hit the sand near her feet, “I'm saved!”

Hitting the sand as a bullet cracked through the air near her head, she reconsidering the entire 'I'm saved' thing before crawling over to the ring and picking it up.

“...Killer of demons,” Clang droned on as he raised the knife in preparation of bringing Dawn's life to a swift and bloody end, “gorge on this flesh, our offering...DRINK!”

Grabbing Clangs hand, Dawn slipped the ring on to his finger.

“Get sacrificed!” Dawn told him, “I don't subscribe to your crazy religion!”

Turning away, Dawn sprinted down the beach towards her sister and girlfriend.

0=0=0=0

The battle that followed Dawn's escape was pretty one sided. With Dawn back in their hands, 'Slayerforce' didn't feel the need to hold back. Buffy, Faith and Kennedy quickly picked off the Followers of Kaili until they broke and ran leaving a dozen of their number dead in their foxholes. Casting their weapons aside in their attempts to move faster the Kaili worshippers were mercilessly shot down as they ran.

Moving forward the slayers searched through the beach-side temple, they found the body of Clang lying in the surf his right hand frozen on his left, he'd died trying to remove the ring. Taking the bayonet from her rifle, Faith cut Clang's ring finger off and took the ring and put it inside her bra (she was still wearing her tart's outfit and it didn't have any pockets). The ring would be put in the most secure of the magical artefacts stores at Slayer Central.

“Any sign of Ahme?” Dawn asked as she and Willow picked their way between the scattered corpses.

“Nah,” Faith shook her head, “she musta got away.”

“We'll deal with her later,” Giles pointed out, “just now I think we'd be wise to get away from here before the police turn up and start asking questions we don't want to answer.”

With general mutterings of assent they turned away from the battlefield and headed back to the minibus and home.

0=0=0=0

**The Epilogue.**

**Giles' House.**

Walking into the living room, Buffy threw herself into an armchair and sighed tiredly.

“Any luck?” Giles looked up from his own chair where he'd been reading the latest volume of Harry Potter with great amusement.

“No,” Buffy shook her head; after getting back to Slayer Central, Slayerforce had gone on to raid the Temple of Kaili; led there by one of Willow's locator spells they'd found the hall empty. “They must have realised we'd be on our way and skedaddled.”

“Pity,” Giles got slowly to his feet, “Tea?”

“Please,” Buffy nodded then noticed the book Giles had been reading, “Harry Potter, Giles?”

“Yes,” Giles smiled as he headed for the kitchen, “a little light reading you know...it helps rest the mind.”

“Right,” Buffy got up to follow Giles into the kitchen, “I though you were researching this Tea-up-wanky guy every spare minute you had.”

“Teotwawki,” Giles corrected Buffy for what must have been the thousandth time.

Giles had found references to Teotwawki a couple of months earlier, he still didn't know what he, she or it was, but he did know that he, she or it was coming soon and was dangerous.

“I'm beginning to think that its a myth,” Giles explained as he filled the kettle.

“So that's something we don't have to worry about?” Buffy asked hopefully.

“Hopefully,” Giles agreed, he hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Buffy...about the guns...”

“Please Giles don't start,” Buffy sighed tiredly, “you know how much I hate guns but if we'd not had them today...”

Buffy left the consequences of not having firearms when fighting people who did unsaid.

“No its not that,” Giles spooned tea leaves into a warmed teapot, “I was going to say I can see your point and agree with you that we shouldn't ban ourselves from using them, its just...”

“Just what Giles?” Buffy asked softly she could see her old watcher was struggling with some internal argument.

“I just don't want the slayers turning into gangsters that's all,” Giles finally admitted.

“Don't worry, Giles,” Buffy stepped over to Giles, put her arm around him and rested her head against his shoulder, “no gangsters, promise...”

0=0=0=0

**Willow and Kennedy's House.**

“You sure you want to go through with this?” Kennedy asked as she helped Willow pack a couple of bags for their trip to Edinburgh, “I know I can be a bit bossy...”

“A bit?” Willow quipped.

“...I just don't want to push you into anything you don't want to do,” Kennedy ignored Willow's remark, “I mean having a baby's a _big_ step to take.”

“I know sweetie,” Willow looked up at her girlfriend, “and I've thought it through very carefully...you're not having second thoughts are you?”

“NO!” Kennedy exclaimed, “I'm totally cool with it, I'm looking forward to being a mom, honest, I am going to be a 'mom' aren't I?”

“Yes,” Willow smiled as she went over and gave Kennedy a reassuring hug, “Little, 'whoever', will have two mommies...we'll have to buy that book.”

0=0=0=0

**Dawn and Faith's house a week later.**

Hanging from her chains, Dawn's, sweat slick, breasts rose and fell as she gasped for breath. Faith had got a very puzzled Xander Harries to put two or three very stout metal eyes in the wall of her and Dawn's bedroom. Next she'd gone chain shopping with Kennedy who knew all the best places to go for locks and restraints.

Cupping Dawn's breast in her hand, Faith moved in to kiss Dawn's eager lips as she rubbed herself against Dawn's body.

“Please, Faith,” Dawn gasped desperately, “do it again...pleeeeez!”

“Maybe...” Faith replied nonchalantly as she stepped away from Dawn, “...later.”

“Faaaaaaith!” Dawn pleaded, “Pleeeeeeeeeeez!”

The End.


End file.
